RPM: The Last Stand Part II
by Lily Hanson
Summary: It's the year 2026. Venjix is attacking Corinth city. Kaylee's new team of Rangers must fight against his army of robots to protect the last little bit of humanity. This is the final stand agaisnt evil. Who will win? Re-uploaded due to glitches.
1. Closure's the Key

_Author's note: I know what you guys are thinking. WTF is she doing this for. The reason I've posted this chapter again (and again and again), is because my last story seems to be having issues. When you guys and myself try to access the last few chapters, it says it is outdated._

_I hasn't been, ever._

_I'm hoping if I start fresh, the problem will leave and we can all read easy._

_Wish me luck and enjoy (if this works)_

_Disclaimer: Never will I own Power Rangers. But all original characters are mine._

_Warnings: Do not read unless you've been following with the previous RPM story. If you have no idea what I'm takling about, check out my profile. Everyhting you need to know is there._

Dr. K sent the notes from her conversation to the Rangers, and in a matter of minutes they were all downstairs, relieved they were no longer to blame for Hayden's disappearance.

"So, you think Kyle's behind all this?" Mike asked, looking over Dr. K's shoulder. Normally she would have turned around and told him to back out of her personal space, but she understood the situation and ignored his presence.

"Unnecessary lying isn't helping his case," Dr. K smiled.

Kaylee walked over to her husband, completely ashamed. She couldn't dare look up at him as she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Dustin laughed, pulling his wife in his arms, "So am I... I didn't think... but I was so worried. I mean, it's my baby girl!"

Kaylee nodded, wrapping her arms around Dustin and resting her head on his shoulder. "We were still wrong... both of us."

"Agreed," Dustin kissed her forehead, then her lips, "I love you."

The other Rangers exchanged looks, silently apologizing to each other, while at the same time, forgiving others. They all understood the message they got from Dr. K, and after thinking about it for a few minutes, they knew Kyle had to be the one behind everything. It was foolish to blame each other, without concrete evidence.

"So, what do we do now?" Samantha asked as Scott pulled her in and kissed the top of her head. He could feel her hands shaking as he held them in his own.

"I'm trying to locate her morpher, but I can't seem to get a lock," Greg sighed.

"Let us..."

"... help," Gem and Gemma began assisting their long time friend by the main computer, while Dr. K worked at her station.

"So, we just sit here and wait for a lock?" Mike asked, fiddling with his own morpher to keep his hands from breaking something.

"What else can we do?" Ziggy frowned. "If we go out and search the city, someone's going to figure out we're a Ranger down!"

"The Cartels," Kaylee's eyes widened. She looked up at her husband. He squeezed her reassuringly.

"Cartels?" Ronny asked. She only moved to Corinth after Daniela ran away, and unlike her husband, she never really left the Garage. The Cartels were only existent in Corinth, so it came to no surprise that she had no idea what they were.

"The Cartels; five gangs who control a lot of the city," Ziggy explained to the stock car driver, "The only thing standing in their way is the military. And who is at the head of the military...?"

"Dr. K?" Ronny asked, pointing to the doc. She looked up from her screen and shook her head. Ronny's finger looked around the room as the Rangers' eyes redirected her to Kaylee. She stood in complete shock.

Kaylee, of all people, was in charge of Corinth City's defences, the safety of the citizens and was head of the entire operations? There was no one above her?

"How?" Ronny asked. "I mean, it was hard to believe our legendary female green Ranger was a claustrophobic, asthmatic, slightly deranged, totally insane and childish twenty-year old, but now that twenty year old has the human population in the palm of her hand, and she's only got another twenty years experience under her belt?"

Kaylee giggled, "I'm a world leader."

"_The_ world leader," Dr. K corrected her. She turned to Ronny, hoping to get back on topic. "What they're trying to say, is that the Cartels want full power of the city, and the only thing in their way is the military. And, like any other organisation or operation, if you cut it at the head, everything crumbles."

"So, if the Cartels find out Hayden's been kidnapped..."

"... they could try to rescue her, and demand world power for her release," the twins finished.

Ronny groaned, falling back into the couch, "We are so screwed!"

"No we're not!" Greg smiled, bringing up a picture on the large monitor for everyone to see. It was an aerial view of the commercial district in Corinth city. Every few seconds, there would be a faint pink circle that would cover a large area of the district. "I've yet to get a lock on Hayden, but I have narrowed down her location to one district."

"All these buildings though are occupied for a great deal of time during the day, and well into the evening," Dustin frowned.

"That's near Kelly's house!" Kaylee pointed out a small house on the edge of the monitor.

"Storm Chargers and JKP were built in the residential area just on the outside," Dustin pointed to a couple of buildings in the small residential area where Kelly and RJ were said to be living. "If one of these companies had found Hayden, or anything suspicious, Kelly or RJ would be aware."

"I don't think she's in a company building," Ziggy smirked, happy he could help. "When I was with the Cartels, we had a map of all the big businesses and this district was filled with them. But there was the tiniest spec that wasn't coloured. When I asked Fresno Bob what it was, he said it was an abandoned house."

"A house?" Dr. K frowned. Ziggy nodded.

"Yeah, that area used to be residential before the Venjix attacks, but when we were all isolated into this dome, it was chosen for commercial business. All the houses were sold and demolished, except that one."

"Why?" Dani frowned, "That sounds stupid. Who wants to live with no neighbours?"

"The owner apparently demanded a great deal of money for his house, something the military couldn't offer," Ziggy continued. Ever since Venjix had wiped humanity off the face of the earth (almost), the military was in charge of everything. It was like the government but with less hair and more badges. Whoever was at the top of the military pretty much controlled the world. At this point in time, Kaylee was at the top of Corinth's military while Kira was at the top of NewTech's. Because Corinth was an important city for communication, defence and power it stood before NewTech and Kaylee stood in front of Kira. All in all, the military was at the top of the food chain. "Work on the commercial district needed to be done, so the military left the house where it was, and the owner lived peacefully for ten months."

"Ten months?" Flynn laughed, "Did he finally sell it once everything was done?"

"He... disappeared," Ziggy swallowed hard.

"You mean died?" Dr. K asked.

"Well, not exactly," Ziggy pulled on the collar of his shirt, "We all know Fresno Bob doesn't do murder, but that doesn't mean he won't send someone down that road."

"What do you mean?" Ronny frowned.

"I'm not saying Bob did this, but rumour has it, one of the cartels threatened the owner to leave the city, or something really bad was going to happen. The owner must have known not to mess with the cartels, because soon, he was gone. There was no trace left of him. No records to say he moved to another location, or even to NewTech. None of the tunnel officers had him marked down. Some cartels think he left the city to wander the wastes."

"Why would the cartels scare him out of his house, though?" Gem asked.

"They must have thought that if he left, they could have the house and sell it for a fortune!" Dr. K stated. "Unfortunately, by that time, plans for the district were already set in stone, and the house had been incorporated into those plans, meaning there was no need for it to be bought, or demolished.

"And because it covers very little land, you couldn't build a big store. All that could really fit would be a connivance store, and most of those are located in residential areas as a convenience for residents when they need a quick purchase," Scott smirked.

Samantha looked around at her friends and sighed deeply, "So, basically, Hayden's in there."

"To sum up these last twenty minutes, yes," Dr. K nodded.

"Well, now that we know where to look, I say we find her!" Flynn said, taking a step to the door before Dustin grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Yes and no," Dustin frowned. Flynn looked up at the former yelled Ranger with such confusion, Dustin had to laugh. Dr. K decided to explain.

"We still don't know why Kyle, if he really is the intruder, would kidnap Hayden? Is it for business? Does he really still have her? What is he doing to her and what can we do to get her back?"

"I've got all your answers, doc," Flynn smirked, "Yes, he's a dead jackass, it's personal, yes, it better be nothing and I've got it covered."

"If we want to get Hayden back safely and quickly, we need to figure out what we can do and come up with a plan before we storm in there," Dr. K continued.

"Doc! Every time Hayden's captured, she comes back scarred and scared! The longer we leave her there, the worse it'll be for all of us!"

"I understand your concern, Flynn, but..."

"Flynn, Dr. K's right," Samantha breathed, pulling in closer to Scott. He hugged her warmly, resting his chin on her head. Flynn sighed, running his hand through his hair as he turned to the Angel. He was about to argue, when a smirk appeared on her face, "Fortunately, I know what he wants."

"If you're going to..."

"Ew," Samantha shivered, interrupting her boyfriend. "No... never... eww!"

"Good," Scott smiled.

"Look, when Kyle came here and 'pranked' us, he begged me for a date. Remember what happened when I refused?"

"Peach pie?" Ziggy asked, ducking behind Kaylee and Dustin nervously.

"Yeah..." Samantha frowned, "But he got angry."

"The hulk!" Dani giggled.

"He did like any one would do when they love someone who doesn't love them back," Samantha smirked, "They tried to figure out the reason. In this case, Kyle thinks it's because Scott's the red Ranger! He thinks the reason I'm attracted to Scott is because I think he's strong and powerful!"

"But it's also because you love..." Scott started, but was interrupted by a loud shush from Samantha. His jaw dropped in shock, while the others snickered. Samantha laughed slightly as well and kissed him on the cheek before continuing.

"Look, guys, Kyle's going to want to prove to me he's strong! I think, he thinks, that he can prove his strength by breaking the one person in this city who is supposed to be unbreakable."

"Does he not know that's your little sister?" Dillon frowned, trying to make sense of all this as he held Summer tight.

"I think he's a little... not right up there," Ziggy said, spinning his finger around his head. The others nodded in agreement.

"So, basically, this guy plans on killing Hayden to prove his strength and win Samantha?" Dani asked. Flynn turned to the red head and growled. His knuckles were turning white from his fists being clenched so tight for so long. He growled, muttering something under his breath that no one understood, and no one really wanted to understand.

Dustin seemed to be agreeing with him. After all, Hayden was his baby girl; his youngest daughter. Anyone who ever thought of hurting her was already on his blacklist. If someone made her cry, they were dead to him.

Now, this Kyle guy was dead and buried. Not only did he disrespect and cheat on his older daughter, but he kidnapped his youngest and was, most likely, beating the shit out of her.

He shifted his gaze to Dr. K and the twins, "So we know where this guy is and we know what he wants. Now can we go save my daughter?"

Dr. K shrugged, "In most cases I would refuse to admit that I lack the ability to fully understand the situation and therefore can't come up with a solution, but when dealing with a hostage and with the emotional aspects of the situation, I must confess to having no idea what I'm doing."

Dani raised her hand nervously, "I know what to do."

All eyes turned to her, slightly shocked. She was nowhere near stupid or dumb, but she was the last person anyone would go to when they needed help that demanded using your head. School, in general, was not her strong point. As long as she got a passing grade, she was happy. So for her to confidant and come out saying she knew more than Dr. K was surprising.

"You know what to do?" Ronny asked. Dani looked at her mom and nodded. "I knew this moment would come."

"So, what do..."

"... we do?" Gem and Gemma frowned.

"Okay, the way I see it, Kyle thinks there's still a chance that Samantha likes him. Reason being: he never got closure. When Samantha dumped him, she pretty much just walked off and told him, it's over. He didn't know why, he didn't understand why, he just knew that one of his girls were gone. If he doesn't get closure that means this relationship is still open for him, and it's still fair game to want to go after Samantha. What she needs to do, is really end this."

Samantha nodded. She understood what her cousin was telling her, but she couldn't help but notice a slight flaw, "Kyle may get angry, though, and Hayden might be on the receiving end of that anger."

"Get her out of danger and finish it off with Kyle," Dani shrugged, stuffing her hands in her jacket pocket.

"If we're going to do it like that, I would suggest sending a small group in for a rescue," Kaylee said. "Just enough people to keep each other safe if he goes AWOL, but still a small enough group so that when Samantha does 'break-up' with Kyle, he doesn't feel intimidated or attacked."

"Obviously I'll have to go," Samantha said. She looked up at Scott, "You should stay back."

"But..."

"Seeing you will only anger him, especially when I break up with him. I mean, how many good boyfriends or girlfriends break up with their ex, with their current partner in the room?"

Scott nodded, letting go of Samantha as she said this. She was right, if he stayed behind there was less of a chance Kyle went off the deep end. But that also meant he couldn't be there for Samantha if she needed him. He took her hand in his and squeezed it.

"I'm going too," Flynn nodded, "And I don't give a damn about what you guys say. Hayden's going to need someone."

"If Samantha's going, I'll stay back with Engel," Mike suggested, taking the baby from Gemma and cradling her. "Just in case something happens."

Samantha nodded but felt Scott's hand tighten around hers a little more. She knew he was counting on Mike to leave and protect her, like he always did when it came to his girl cousins. But now that he was staying back, there would be no one to look out for her.

Dillon saw Scott tense up and knew what was wrong. Though he and Scott did butt heads, a lot, they were like brothers.

"I'll go too," he offered, surprising everyone. "You guys are going to need someone a little more... level-headed in this situation."

"You, level-headed?" Dr. K laughed.

"I'll be the only one not in tears," Dillon remarked, causing Dr. K to nod and shrug.

Scott looked over at Dillon and smiled. Dillon looked back, and for a brief moment, returned the gesture.

"Well, there is that, and also, no one messes with our pink Ranger and gets away with it," Dillon nodded.

"I'm going..." Dustin started, but Kaylee put a hand on his chest, stopping him. He looked down at her. He saw the tears in her eyes and the pain on her face, but knew what she was saying. He was way too involved personally. He couldn't be the one to go in there, and expect things to go over smoothly. He also ran the risk of losing it as soon as he spotted the boy who hurt both his baby girls, and would probably be coming back to the garage with blood on his hands.

"I'll go," Ronny smiled. She figured an adult should go along with the teens, in case something got intense, but Kaylee and Dustin, the only two adults, were Samantha and Hayden's parents. She was as impersonal as it was going to get, so she was the better option. "And I think that's all we can take."

"I'll be monitoring you guys from here," Dr. K announced from her computer. Ronny nodded quickly at the doc as she led Sammy, Flynn and Dillon to her car.

-----RPM-----

Hayden was in pain, and it wasn't the kind of pain that would eventually go away.

Kyle had been using her to practice and to kill. He was desperate to show Samantha just how strong he had become, and had managed to cause some damage to the invincible Ranger.

For one thing, Hayden's shoulder was dislocated, and until it was popped back into place, there was no way it was going to heal. Her wrists were also injured from the rope, and because they never got time to fully heal before they were cut open again, Hayden knew there would be damage to her wrists if she was ever freed.

Her shirt was stained in blood. Most of it was her own, but some of it was Kyle's from when Hayden put up a fight and knocked him in the nose. Aside from that, there were no more visible scars or bruises.

What was hurting Hayden, though, was her fear. She was helpless and trapped in a position where pain was inevitable, even with her genetic abilities. She couldn't run and hide, and she couldn't fight it. Also, because she couldn't die, every hour she got to relive the same pain, over, and over, and over again, until Kyle grew tired.

Unfortunately, he was obsessed with Samantha, and wasn't going to rest until he got what he wanted. That meant, Hayden wasn't going to catch a break, until she was either dead, or he gave up.

Giving up wasn't an option for Kyle. He proved it when his fist connected with the side of Hayden's ribcage and a sick crack was heard in the room. Hayden bit her tongue as she tried not to scream.

"How fast do you heal, kid?" Kyle laughed, giving Hayden a few seconds to heal, before hitting her in the same spot. It was tender, but no longer broken, and Hayden whimpered in pain when he touched it.

"What's wrong with you?" Hayden frowned tasting her blood in her mouth. She collected it together and spit in Kyle's face.

"Nothing's wrong with me, I just..."

"You're psychotic," Hayden taunted, regretting it when she received a swift kick to the gut.

"Samantha's mine, got it?" Kyle said, grabbing Hayden's face in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "She's an Angel, I'm an Angel. No one else deserves her but me."

"I like Scott better," Hayden grinned, trying to pull away. "At least when he tries to kill me it's with a pillow."

Kyle screamed, pushing Hayden back and causing her to slam into the back wall. She whimpered in pain as the rope pulled her back, and she hung limp.

"Ow..." she muttered.

"Kyle!" someone called from inside the house, close to the room Kyle and Hayden were in. Kyle perked up, recognising the voice.

"Sammy?"

"You're problem's with me, jackass," Samantha yelled, stepping into the room with only Flynn and Dillon by her side. Ronny was standing outside, keeping an eye on the surrounding area, but ready to jump in if needed. "Leave my sister alone."

Kyle smiled, stepping out of the way for Samantha to see what he had done to the invincible Ranger. Samantha shook in anger, but stayed calm for her sake, Kyle's sake (sadly), and Hayden's sake.

"You wanted someone strong and powerful; look at how powerful I am now!" Kyle beamed, showing off his work. "I've got the strongest ranger at my mercy."

"Someone's going to be begging for mercy," Flynn muttered, not giving a damn about anyone else in the room as he made his way to Hayden to untie her. Kyle moved to try and stop him, but Flynn wouldn't allow anyone in his path. Before Kyle could make a move, he slammed his elbow into the boy's chest and pounded him in to the wall. He grabbed Kyle by his shirt, lifting him off the ground as he glared daggers at the boy.

"Leave my girlfriend alone, got it, Angel boy?" he whispered angrily. Kyle didn't answer, so Flynn slammed him into the wall again. "GOT IT?"

Flynn didn't wait for an answer as he dropped Kyle and went to Hayden. He untied her, and she fell into his arms. Flynn hugged her, dropping to his knees so she was closer to the ground. He saw her looking up at him and smiled.

"You're still conscious."

"I'm immune to a lot of stuff," Hayden laughed. Now that her hands were free, she could easily pop her shoulder back into place and her wrists were finally getting the chance to heal. Within a matter of seconds she was back to normal. Flynn didn't want to let her go though, so he stayed there with her, while Samantha dealt with Kyle.

"What do you want, Kyle?" Samantha sighed in annoyance as she looked at the boy on the ground, still recovering from his attack from Flynn. "We're done, you know that."

"You have to give me another chance, babe!" Kyle begged, turning his attention to Sam. "I can be the man you want me to be."

"I want you to be gone!" Samantha frowned. "I don't want you, Kyle! I don't love you. I don't know if I ever did, and I'm pretty damn sure I never will!"

"Can't you try?" Kyle asked. Samantha scoffed, pointing to her sister and she gave Kyle a knowing look.

"I'm in love with Scott," Samantha told him, "not the insane ex-boyfriend who didn't love me when he had the chance, and who attacked my sister, in an attempt to kidnap my daughter!"

"But we're both Angels!"

"You're the devil!" Samantha barked. "I would rather face Dai Shi then see you ever again. What we had before, it's gone now! There's nothing left! I don't have feelings for you anymore and you ruined any chance you had of those feelings coming back!"

Kyle lowered his head in shame as everything sunk in. Samantha took a deep breath and started to shake. Dillon put his hand on her shoulder, giving her the support she needed.

"Look, Kyle, this situation aside, I'm sure you have changed, and you could be a great guy. I'm sure you'll make some girl really lucky someday..."

"Yeah, like Mrs. Devil," Dillon snickered.

"Kyle, I'm not that girl," Samantha shook her head.

"If things don't work out with Scott..." Kyle pressed, trying to find a way back. Samantha continued to shake her head.

"What's meant to be will be," she said. "But... no..."

"But..."

"No," Samantha frowned.

Kyle nodded, getting to his feet. He wasn't happy with these results, but whether he knew it or not, he was getting the closure he needed to move on.

There had been a time when Samantha was the love of his life. There was a time when he was willing to do anything for her. But when he was granted permission to roam the earth, and he saw all the other women he could potentially have, he got caught up in the excitement. He didn't really mean to cheat on Samantha or disrespect her, but he wasn't paying attention to his actions and in the end, they had cost him.

Then his break up with Samantha was so sudden, he didn't have time for it to register. At first, though, he was happy. With no girlfriend, he wasn't tied to a commitment. After a while, however, he started to miss that and went to call Samantha, until he realised she was gone.

That's when he came looking for her, and that's when he was turned down.

"Can we at least be friends?" he asked, offering his hand. Samantha looked at it for a moment, before pulling away.

"No."

Kyle frowned, "W-why... why not?"

"Let's see, kid," Dillon pulled Samantha behind him as he wrapped his arm around Kyle. "First, you demand to have her back, and border stalking. Then you sneak into the ranger base with hopes of kidnapping her daughter, but decide to go for her baby sister. You take her home, tie her up, kick her ass, come back to the base, lead us to believe you have no idea what's going on, lie to us, come back here, beat up her sister again until we find you, you show her what you did to her sister, think it'll win her heart when really it makes her wanna puke and demand again for her heart. Why the hell would she want to be friends with you?"

"Samantha, please... I'll show you, I can change..."

"Shut up," Flynn growled shoving the boy to the ground as he walked Hayden over to Dillon and Samantha. Sammy smiled as her sister threw her arms around her. She held the smaller teen in her arms, happy she was safe.

Flynn obviously wasn't as willing to forgive Kyle as Samantha was, but that didn't bother Kyle. It wasn't Flynn's heart he was trying to get.

"Samantha..."

"Kyle... I can't," Samantha said. "Not after what you did to my family."

"But..."

Samantha shook her head, turning to leave. Hayden was tucked under her arm and never once looked back. Flynn walked beside his girlfriend and always kept one eye on Kyle until they were out of the house.

Samantha wanted to look back. She knew that Kyle was a good guy, somewhere, and didn't want to hurt him, but Dillon managed to discourage her. He told her that if she looked back, it would send Kyle the wrong message.

Instead, Samantha looked up at Dillon, "You are a bunny," she laughed, ruffling his hair.


	2. Behind The Scenes

_Author's Note: This is where a lot of you guys left off. I posted the last chapter for the few readers who didn't manage to see it due to the random glitches that decided to haunt me (technology hates me and I hate it right back)_

_Enjoy!_

_Alright, this chapter was supposed to be based off the episode, And... Action, but as it turns out, that was a behind the scenes look. Unfortunately (and I know this comes as a disappointment to all you loyal readers), I don't have awesome stunts, big explosions, green screens or bloopers (typos don't count... though I have had some funny mistakes. Let's just say, when writing Duck, my D is too close to the F...)._

_Anyways, seeing as there isn't much behind the screens you can do, I decided to do my own version. You'll see what I mean._

_I hope you enjoy it!_

Samantha, Dillon, Flynn and Ronny brought Hayden home shortly after leaving Kyle, reuniting her with her family. As they welcomed her back with hugs, kisses and the ever annoying "Are you okay", Ziggy looked around the room.

"Alright, so are their anymore ex boyfriends, rivals, old friends, new enemies or anything we should be looking out for?"

"Ziggy," Scott laughed, pulling the green Ranger into a headlock and noogying him.

"Not the hair! Not the hair!"

"And this is why I find emotional attachments are unnecessary," Dr. K breathed, welcoming back Hayden, but expressing her concern about dating and letting someone in close. "They seem to cause nothing but harm."

"Babies," Kaylee laughed, holding her daughter in her arms, thankful she was safe and sound. "Dating leads to babies."

"It leads to confusing and uncomfortable feelings that can break a person," Dr. K groaned, "which I why I will never date."

"Sure you will," Ziggy grinned, poking the doctor.

"Nope," Dr. K shook her head and frowned, but inside she had the biggest grin. She had just told everyone she didn't ever want to date. It wasn't exactly a lie, but if the opportunity arose to be with Ziggy, she might take him up on the offer. The fact that he was trying to get her to change her mind, though, made it a lot harder to refuse to date at all. If he wanted her to date, did that mean he liked her as well?

"Look, guys, I'm glad I'm back, and I'm glad you're all glad I'm back, but sleeping while tied to the ceiling isn't exactly comfortable," Hayden started, pulling away from her mother, "so I think I'll be hitting the sack."

"Oh, Mayday, before you go..." Summer ran to the coffee table and picked up a pamphlet. She tossed it to her cousin, who she affectionately called Mayday, so she could read.

"What's this?" Hayden asked, not even bothering to look at what was inside. Summer rolled her eyes.

"Well, while you were gone, and the others were rescuing you, Colonel Truman stopped by..."

"Did he cry because his favouritest ranger in the entire world was in danger?" Hayden giggled.

"No," Summer laughed, "Remember the tour of the command center, with the little kids?"

"Yeah."

"We're doing it again."

"That's nice. I won't be up on time for that," Hayden waved goodnight to her friends, but they all called her name. She turned around and sighed.

"This tour was supposed to happen yesterday, but because of the emergency situation, which was you, we had to push it back," Scott explained.

"That and you guys were being ridiculous and blaming each other pointlessly," Dr. K muttered.

"Anyways, the Colonel wants us to be as real as we can for the kids," Summer continued to explain, "So he's asked that only two Rangers lead the tour, while the rest of us go on with our daily lives."

"Okay, I'll be napping in my room," Hayden turned to leave, but Summer pulled her back.

"For some odd reason, when it came time for the kids to choose who their tour guides would be, they chose you and Ziggy..."

"We're awesome!" Ziggy cheered, going to high-five Hayden. She left him hanging as she looked at her mother.

Normally, she would have loved this chance to show the little kids her job and teach them how to stay safe, but after just getting home from a hostage situation (where she was the hostage), she didn't know if she was up to it.

"Do I have to?" she groaned. Kaylee shook her head.

"Not if you don't want to," she said, "But the other choice seemed to be Dillon. There's something about a brooding bunny the kids like!"

"Dillon?" Hayden frowned. "Dillon's going to spend an entire day with children?"

"That's dangerous!" Dillon protested, "Why me?"

"We asked the Colonel for a rain check, because you were kidnapped and we knew you would be pooped, but it's the only day this month the kids are available and it's important for their studies to learn about the heroes of Corinth and about everyday safety."

Hayden looked at Ziggy, "You take the lead for this, and I'll do it!"

Ziggy nodded, his hand still in the air, waiting for a high-five. Hayden looked at the hand and thought of her two options.

First: she can be nice and high-five. After all, leaving someone hanging wasn't cool... for them.

Second: she turn and walk and save a couple seconds of sleep, which she now needed desperately.

Hayden decided to walk. She turned to her room and disappeared.

"Not cool!" Ziggy called after her.

-----RPM-----

Ziggy was tiptoeing to the girls' bedroom, where Hayden was the only one still sleeping. He had about ten kids behind him, all tiptoeing as well, and following his orders.

He told Hayden to be awake at ten o'clock so she would be ready for the kids' arrival at 10:15. Now it was 10:45 and no one heard a peep from her.

He knew she needed to sleep in, which was why he started the tour without her (Ranger Breakfast wasn't the same), but now it was time to get up.

"Alright," Ziggy said, turning to the kids as they all stopped in their tracks, "Now, Hayden, out pink Ranger, had a rough couple of days, so it would be really nice if you guys could gently wake her up and..."

The kids heard all they needed as they ran into the bedroom and started jumping on the beds. A few of them ran to Hayden and pulled on her blankets. She was pulled with the blankets and onto the floor.

Groaning, she untangled herself to look at Ziggy. He was trying to rally up the kids and calm them down.

"Ziggy," she called sweetly, but with a hint of venom as she got to her feet and walked over to the green Ranger. Ziggy gulped, turning to the younger girl.

"Yes."

Hayden hit him, right in the forehead with the palm of her hand. Ziggy stumbled backwards, holding his head in his hand.

"I told them to do it gently!" Ziggy argued, but Hayden wasn't ready to hear it. She grabbed her jacket and put it on before leading the kids downstairs.

"Did you cover breakfast?" Hayden asked.

"Breakfast, check, now we just need the uniforms," Ziggy nodded. Hayden looked down at her pyjamas and her RPM jacket. Ziggy laughed, "I mean normal uniforms."

Hayden looked at the kids, "Alright, how many of you want to know what Power Rangers wear when they aren't in nano-fibre?"

"Awesome!" the kids cheered. Hayden pushed her way past Ziggy, claiming the first change room so she could put her shirt and pants on in private. When she was done, Ziggy claimed the change room and Hayden sat the kids down.

The presentation of the uniforms started when Ziggy came back out. He saw the kids, sitting nicely and staying quiet, while Hayden tapped her foot impatiently.

"How did you do that?" Ziggy frowned, pointing to the kids. Hayden looked over her shoulder at the group of nine year olds and shrugged.

"I told them you would eat them."

"I would... what?"

"Why do you guys have to wear that?" a little girl asked, raising her hand and interrupting Ziggy. Hayden turned to the kids and smiled.

"We wear these for convenience," she explained, pointing to her jeans, pink t-shirt, steel toe boots and RPM jacket. "It's comfortable, light, casual and safe.

"Safe?" a little boy asked. Hayden nodded.

"Come kick my feet."

The boy hopped off his chair and walked over to Hayden. He looked up at her, unsure about his move, but Hayden nodded. Quickly, he kicked her in the toes and recoiled in pain.

"Ow!" he frowned, holding his foot.

"See, nothing can hurt me now! Not even when Dani drops her hammer on my feet," Hayden laughed, helping the kid back to his seat.

"The shirt is light," Ziggy explained, tugging on his light green shirt. "It's good for when we train, and it's nice when we all just hang out. The pants are just regular pants."

"And finally, the cool jackets," Hayden grinned, pulling off her jacket to show the kids. "They have our number and animal logo on the back. On the front there's the RPM logo. The jackets are also trimmed in our Ranger colour, so we never forget which jacket belongs to whom."

A hand shot up as a boy with glasses waited eagerly for someone to call on him. Ziggy pointed to him and nodded. The boy hopped off his chair, fixing his glasses as he stood up straight.

"I've seen everyone else in their jackets, and they are all black with the Ranger coloured trimmed, like you said, but Hayden's jacket is pink and it's trimmed in a slightly darker shade of pink. Is there a reason for that, or are you just the mentor's pet?"

"Well, seeing as our mentor is my mom, you could say both," Hayden giggled.

"Oh, I have a question!" A girl grinned, "Why are the Zords animals?"

Ziggy opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't come up with a response. He looked at Hayden, thinking she would know.

"Actually..." Hayden frowned, looking back at Ziggy. "I don't know why..."

"Who designed them?" Ziggy asked.

"Well, my mom had the initial blueprints when I was a kid... but I think I flushed those..." Hayden mused. "So I think its Dr. K's doing..."

"Questioning time!" Ziggy called, waving the kids to follow him and Hayden as they led them into the lab. The kids looked around in awe as Hayden and Ziggy approached the Soup Group.

"Dr. K, we have a question and it needs answering!" Ziggy smiled. Dr. K swirled around in her chair to look at the L-Green Ranger, while Greg, Gem and Gemma watched.

"Ziggy, I'm in the middle of a very important analysis on Venjix updates. Can we do this...?"

"What's up with the Zords?" Hayden asked, cutting off the young doctor while resting her hands on the desk.

"I believe this question was answered in our last group discussion," Dr. K frowned. "If my memory is accurate, then Scott was the one to ask about the _eyes_ on the Zords."

"Well, now I want to know why the hell our Zords look like animals!" Ziggy grinned.

"They do not resemble animals," Dr. K frowned. Gem, Gemma and Greg exchanged funny looks, before laughing.

"Um, Dr. K..."

"... the Zords do look like animals," the twins smiled. Dr. K rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I needed them to work for the operator. Of course, Flynn, the mechanic, would get a heavy Zord with a lot more power, because he will be able to handle it. The Air force pilot, Scott, would be able to handle an aircraft Zord. Summer's Zord needed to be smaller for better manoeuvrability and so on. Do you understand?"

Ziggy nodded, following along with the explanation, but it didn't exactly answer the question.

"So, why do they look like animals?" he asked. Dr. K groaned.

"They just turned out that way, Ziggy," she answered. "Are you done?"

One kid in the back raised her hand slowly. Ziggy looked at her then turned back to the doctor.

"Not yet. Someone's got a question," he grinned. "Yes, little girl."

"It's very clean in here," the girl commented. "Is this room always clean?"

Ziggy, Hayden, Dr. K and Greg exchanged grim looks, remembering the daily boom hour the twins had been granted as an outlet for their... excited personalities. The lab, being indestructible (for the most part) was the room the Boom-Twins and Dani (on some occasions) would use for the explosions. Needless to say, by the end of the hour the room looked like the wastelands.

"You could say that," Hayden answered in a high pitched voice before quickly changing the subject. "Does anyone have a question for the twins or Greg?"

A boy raised his hand. Hayden called him out and he stepped forward.

"What do you guys do in here?" he asked.

"We work," Greg answered while the twins turned on a monitor to show the kids all the information. "We work on developing new technology that will help the Rangers take out Venjix."

"Is it hard?" the boy asked. Greg nodded.

"Very hard," he said. "Sometimes, Dr. K hides all the candy, and the twins blow up my results sheet."

The twins laughed, playing footage of their boom hour for the kids to see. They were all impressed with the explosions on the screen, except one boy.

"Are those two slow?" he asked bluntly. The twins looked at each other, a little hurt by his comment. Dr. K frowned at the boy, while Greg, Hayden and Ziggy shook their heads.

"They're actually just as intelligent as Dr. K and Greg," Hayden explained.

"Just a little more... excited," Ziggy added, explaining their odd behaviour for the kids. "Remember kids, intelligence can be hidden in anyone."

"Except Ziggy," Greg teased, wrapping his arm around the L-Green Ranger's shoulder. "Now, think you can let us get back to our work. Venjix doesn't rest."

"Alright, one more question before we get out of here," Hayden announced. One girl's hand was shot up into the air as she bounced, hoping to be chosen. Hayden picked her, laughing slightly.

The girl ran over to Dr. K's desk and leaned in close. Dr. K leaned in as well, thinking the girl was going to whisper. Instead, she spoke normally, "Are you and Ziggy boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked.

Dr. K turned red and Ziggy laughed, pulling the girl away.

"Um, we're not dating," he said. "The doc here kinda hates my guts."

Ziggy led the kids away, unaware the Hayden, Greg and the boom-twins were giving Dr. K sympathetic looks. Dr. K hated those looks. She didn't want a pity party from her friends. She stood up and cleared her throat.

"Ziggy, I do not hate your guts," she started, still as red as could be, "I find you highly annoying at times, and awkward, and most of the time I see you as the idiotic clown, but I don't hate you."

Ziggy smiled at the doctor and nodded before walking back into the garage. Hayden patted the doctor on the shoulder as she followed.

Dr. K turned to her Soup friends, "I don't hate him."

"We know..."

"... Dr. K, but maybe he..."

"... doesn't," Greg finished for the twins. "Just, be a little nicer. It won't hurt you."

Out in the garage, Flynn, Ronny and Dani were working on Dani and Greg's car, until they say a group of little heads looking at them. They turned to the kids, who were not accompanied by Hayden and Ziggy at the moment, and frowned.

"Um, hi?" Dani said, patting the kid in the front on the head.

Flynn looked around for his girlfriend as one kid pulled on his pants.

"Mister, what are you doing?" the kid asked.

"I'm changing the oil," Flynn answered.

Hayden and Ziggy ran from the kitchen to Flynn and the Marks, pulling the kids away from the three mechanics to give them some breathing room.

"Sorry, I needed breakfast," Hayden smiled.

"Okay, kids, these are the people who get the Zords up and running, and they keep the cars going," Ziggy explained, pointing to the Silver, Blue and Former Yellow Rangers. "Without them, we would have to... walk!"

"Ah..." Hayden mocked a fearful tone as she stared at Ziggy. "You know, the city's not that big. Walking wouldn't be too much of a stretch..."

"It would be horrible!" Ziggy frowned.

"Questions start now!" Hayden told the kids as she moved behind them. The kids with questions all raised their hands, and Dani chose the fastest: a little boy in the front.

"What's the difference between a Zord and a Megazord?" the kid asked.

"Oh, I got this one," Dani grinned. "A Zord is the vehicle that belongs to a certain Ranger. It's much smaller than the Megazord and needs a single operator to function. Some don't need operators at all. It's also one of the many pieces that make the Megazord. Usually, Rangers combine a minimum of three Zords to make the Megazord."

Dani stuck her tongue out at Flynn and smiled, "Ha."

"How do you guys make the Megazords?" another boy asked.

"I can answer that," Flynn smiled, placing himself in front of Dani. "Most of the work is done automatically. Our Zords will transform into the part of the Megazord and will connect together to make one giant Super Ranger!"

"So the Zords know what to do by themselves?" a girl asked.

"Kinda," Ronny nodded. "It's Ranger magic. But it takes great skill to programme them to know what to do. That's where we fit in. We're the mechanics on the team, so everything from Zords, to cars, to weapons is developed and created by us, using the blueprints and technology Dr. K and her team create."

"Who has the coolest car?" a boy asked.

"Me," all the Rangers present answered, glaring at anyone who said otherwise. Ziggy just shrugged. He didn't have a car.

The others realised this at the same time and turned to him. He was the sole vote that would determine who had the coolest car. With all the pointed looks aimed at him, Ziggy felt pressured and blurted out Summer's name.

"Um, she doesn't even have a car, lad," Flynn frowned. "She's got a bike."

"I don't know," Ziggy shrugged, backing away. "I don't work well under pressure!"

"I think the pink car is cool!" a little girl smiled. Hayden cheered, high-fiving the little girl.

"I totally agree," she exclaimed.

Ziggy shook his head and laughed. He looked down at the kids and smiled, "Alright, do you guys have any more questions for these guys, or do you want to move on?"

"Who's next?" the little girl asked.

"I think... the others," Hayden shrugged, looking at Ziggy for help. He nodded.

"They aren't special like we are," Dani grinned, "The brains, the mechanics and the rest."

"I think, if we leave now, we'll catch Summer and Dillon mid kiss," Hayden giggled. She waved goodbye to the mechanics, kissing Flynn quickly before leading the kids to the couches. Just as she predicted, Hayden, Ziggy and the kids caught Summer and Dillon mid-kiss, while the other Rangers made kissy face.

A little girl jumped on the back of the couch, behind Dillon and Summer, and looked down at them. Summer saw her first and pulled away from Dillon. He looked at her, confused, before noting the small person breathing down his neck.

"The kids are here, aren't they?" he asked. As he turned around to give Hayden and Ziggy shit for bringing the kids to the couches, both Rangers pretended they hadn't noticed the others.

"And this is where we spend all our spare time. We like to watch TV, play pool, hang out or... oh, hey guys," Ziggy spoke, waving at the Rangers. "I didn't know you were here."

Scott, Samantha and Mike chuckled as Summer and Dillon glared at the L-Green Ranger.

"I hate you so much right now, Ziguardo," Dillon muttered as Summer pulled away from him.

The little girl, who had asked Dr. K about her relationship status with Ziggy, looked at the Black and Yellow couple on the couch and smiled.

"Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"No," Dillon frowned, but Summer smacked him in the chest.

"Yes, we are."

"But I thought you were engaged to Chuckie?" the girl frowned.

"Chuckie?" Summer frowned.

Dillon groaned, "Is this another surprise wedding?"

"Yeah, he was on this tour but back at the military base," the girl nodded.

"Okay," Hayden said, pulling the girl away before Dillon got angry. "Any other questions aside from who's dating whom?"

"Where's the remote?" one kid asked with a smirk on his face. Scott rolled his eyes. He knew what game this kid was playing. He was trying to get the Rangers to think they lost the remote, but Scott knew where it was. He reached over, but didn't see it.

"It was right here," he frowned, looking around. "I just had it! Where is it?"

"Wow, Ziggy, you're right," the little boy laughed, "Power Rangers are just like us!"

Ziggy smiled, remembering his conversation with the kids during breakfast while they were waiting for Hayden.

"Even Power Rangers lose the remote control," he said, laughing slightly as the five in the couch area started looking for the remote.

"Where do you guys train?" one boy asked, looking up at Hayden. She started to speak, but stopped herself.

"Well, when we have training sessions we park the cars to the side and clear room, but usually..."

"Usually training is a spur of the moment thing," Ziggy frowned, continuing for Hayden. "Most of the time, Hayden, Dani and I are the training dummies for the others."

-----RPM-----

_Scott was eating his cereal, like every other morning, while Hayden sat beside him. She too was eating her cereal peacefully, but would glace up at Scott's hair every once in a while. He didn't catch the looks, because he was watching the TV from the Breakfast table._

_Suddenly, he felt something cold drip down his face and neck. When he turned around, he saw Hayden holding her bowl of cereal over his head with an expression of total shock._

"_What did you just dump on my head?" he asked the younger girl._

"_Milk..." Hayden whimpered._

"_Why the hell would you pour milk on my head?" Scott growled._

"_I wanted to see if your hair would soak it up. Guess what..."_

"_It didn't, did it?"_

"_Not exactly," Hayden shook her head, before taking off in the other direction. Scott was hot on her trail._

"_I'm going to kill you, Hayden!" he yelled after her._

_-----RPM-----_

_Flynn was fixing Christian's water gun after it had somehow gotten clogged and Ziggy was helping happily. His job was to hold the gun, and fire it on Flynn's command, so that Flynn could observe it and repair it with both hands._

_Suddenly, Ziggy's finger slipped, hitting the trigger at the bottom. Water came out of the gun and squirt Flynn in the face._

_Ziggy knew what to do. He reached for a rag and offered it to Flynn before taking off. Flynn ran after the smaller boy._

"_You better run!"_

_-----RPM-----_

_Dillon was napping in the hammock he had bought (it only lasted a few hours... you'll see why), when Dani walked up to him and poking his shoulder. He rolled over and looked at her._

"_What do you want?" he asked._

"_I found these," Dani giggled, pulling out a pack of matches. "Mom says she hasn't seen these in years!"_

"_And you thought I would care?" Dillon frowned, returning to his nap. Dani groaned, poking him again._

"_I need someone to light one for me. I can't get it to work," Dani shoved the pack in Dillon's hands. He decided to help her out. After all, she wasn't about to leave him alone._

_He scratched the tiny match against the edge of the box a couple of times until he created a flame. Dani watched in awe._

"_So that's how our parents used to make fire," she giggled, reaching to take the match from Dillon, but he pulled away._

"_No way am I trusting you with fire," he frowned. He was about to blow it out, when Dani tried again to grab the match. This time, her hand touched it and pushed it out of Dillon's hand._

_Both watched in total shock as the match fell onto the hammock, and the entire thing was caught in flames. The overheard sprinklers went on and the other Rangers ran into the room to see what was going on._

_Dillon growled as he stood, soaking wet and ready to kill. He turned to Dani, who had an apologetic look on her face._

"_Now before you say anything I just want to remind you that I am three years younger and not as strong and..."_

"_You better run, Nascar," Dillon yelled, taking off after the youngest Ranger._

_-----RPM----_

"We usually get our asses kicked, and the others get their hours of training for the week," Ziggy told the kids.

One of the girls raised her hand, "Aside from battles, do you guys get hurt?"

"Aside from battles?" Hayden thought about this for a moment. She was sure the kid didn't mean the everyday cut or scratch.

"Yeah, like... do you guys ever trip over equipment, get electrocuted in the lab or something?"

"My mom does," Hayden laughed. "She and the toaster don't always get along. But aside from that..."

"And the bags of chips!" Ziggy added in. "Sometimes I just can't get those open until the blow up in my face!"

"Aside from the toaster and chip debris in Ziggy's eye, no, not really."

There was a sudden crash over by Dani, Flynn and Ronny followed by a loud cuss. Everyone turned to look at what had caused the noise.

"Stupid mother fucking piece of shit!" everyone heard Dani yell before she hit her car with something, causing it to ring through the room. Hayden and Ziggy looked at the kids, worried they had heard the sailor's language.

It proved to be the least of their worries when they heard Dani whimper and Ronny tell Flynn to call David.

"Um, Hayden, Ziggy, I think my question was answered," the girl spoke softly, tugging on Hayden's jacket.

"Well, I hate to cut this tour short but... uh... emergency!" Ziggy escorted the kids to the door. While he walked by Dani, Ronny and Flynn, he glanced at the fallen silver Ranger. She was on the ground, holding her knee and trying to push back the tears while Flynn and Ronny slowly lifted her to take her to the couch.


	3. Fractured Part I

The kids were all trying to repeat the words Dani used, as if it were the most hilarious tongue twister on the planet, while Ziggy tried to get them to settle down until the bus arrived.

Dani was carried to the couch by her mother and Flynn, while Summer and Dillon cleared room for her.

Ronny knelt down and looked at Dani's knee.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Like a mother fu-" Hayden's hand came around and covered her mouth to keep the kids from hearing a word they shouldn't.

"She's in pain," the brunette nodded.

Mike came over with an icepack and Ronny placed it gently on Dani's knee.

The bus for the kids arrived and they all hopped on, crossing their fingers over their hearts as they passed Ziggy. He returned the motion and waved goodbye to the kids. He strolled over to the Rangers with a grin on his face.

"No worries, they promised they wouldn't ever repeat those words," he grinned. He looked down at Dani's knee while Ronny lifted the ice pack slightly.

It was bruised and swollen, that much was obvious, but it also looked a little out of place. Ziggy didn't know what that meant, but he knew it was going to be bad for the team.

Greg came over with a stool. He placed it in front of Dani and slowly lifted her leg so she could rest on it.

David arrived shortly, ready to look at his daughter's knee. He knelt down in front of her, moving Ronny out of the way, so he could look.

"Alright, Dan, what happened?" he asked, examining the knee carefully.

"There was an oil spill," Dani started, pointing over her shoulder to the spot where she felt. I wasn't being careful and I wiped out."

"Hit your knee?" David frowned.

"Smashed it," Dani nodded.

"Did you feel it pop, or move at all?"

"I felt something."

"Can you stand?"

"I can't even move it, dad, never mind put my entire body weight on it."

"Okay, calm down," David smiled, "I'll take you to the hospital."

"Do you know what it is?" Ronny asked, helping her daughter to her feet (or foot).

"I might, but I won't worry you guys too much," David nodded.

Flynn grabbed his keys, "I'll take you there. There's more room in my truck for Dani to keep her leg elevated and the suspension will make the ride smoother for her."

"Thanks," David lifted his daughter into the back seat of the truck as Flynn took the wheel. Ronny squeezed in the back beside Dani, and David rode shotgun.

While they drove off, Kaylee stepped into the room.

"What happened?" she frowned, seeing the blue truck leave the garage.

"I think Dani just hurt herself," Greg sighed, shaking his head as he picked up the stool to put it back where he found it. "She slipped on some oil and wiped out. She told her dad she smashed her knee on the ground and can't move it."

"Ouch," Kaylee winced as she was reminded of the time she had injured her knee after being attacked on the streets. Of course, the men who attacked her ended up in a worse condition, but that didn't dull the pain for Kaylee.

"Uncle David took her to the hospital," Hayden added, "But I think we're going to be down a Ranger."

"We should be okay," Kaylee sighed heavily. "If you guys do feel exhausted or overworked though, let me know and I'll think about finding a temporary stand in."

-----RPM-----

Daniela was shaking as her parents signed out of the hospital. She wore a brace on the knee she had injured and was told by the doctor that it had been fractured. When David asked about treatment, the doctor suggested surgery.

Daniela hated surgery with every bone in her body. She knew of the mistakes and the fatal errors that even a simple surgery could cause. As much as she trusted the doctors her father worked with, she couldn't trust them to rip her knee open and fiddle around inside.

"Ready to go back to the garage?" Ronny smiled, holding Dani's jacket as she approached the young girl. Dani looked up at her mother, close to tears. Ronny's face softened as she sat down beside her daughter.

"What's wrong, Dani?" she asked, holding her daughter in her arms. "Are you worried about the surgery?"

"I don't want to do it!" Dani sobbed burying her head in her mother's shoulder. "What if..."

"Dani, nothing's going to happen to you, okay?" Ronny assured her daughter with a slight laugh to lighten the mood. "I trust the doctors here. I know they won't hurt you. And your father's going to make sure everything is prepared before..."

"I want him to do it," Dani looked up at her mother. "I want dad in the room."

"Sorry, kiddo, he can't do that," Ronny sighed. "But he'll be waiting for you when you get out."

"Am I going to lose my knee? What if something goes really wrong and I can't..."

"Daniela Marks, if I thought anything was going to go wrong I wouldn't allow anyone to touch you!" Ronny smirked. "You will be perfectly fine during the whole thing."

"But..."

"You'll be okay, I promise," Ronny said, kissing her daughter's head. "Now, ready to go? Flynn's waiting in the car already and I think your father's getting impatient."

"I need help," Dani called, extending her hand so her mother could help her stand. The knee brace didn't allow for much movement. Ronny helped her daughter to her feet as David brought over a set of crutches.

"This should help you, baby girl," he said, offering the crutches to Dani. She took them and stuck them under her arms.

"I've always wanted to do this!" Dani giggled, preparing to throw herself forward with her knew walking tools. Ronny and David grabbed her shoulders.

"Not just yet, kiddo," Ronny laughed, "Maybe when you're all fixed up."

"For now, walk normally," David smiled as he moved with his daughter and wife. Dani and Ronny looked over at him and frowned.

"Normally?" Ronny asked.

"Walk?" Dani added.

David looked over at his daughter, realising her situation, "Sorry, I mean... hobble or... you know!"

-----RPM-----

When the Marks and Flynn arrived back in the Garage, the Rangers had already set up a spot on the couch for Dani to sit. There were no recliners in the Garage, so they had to find a way to keep her comfortable and keep her leg elevated.

"So how was it?" Greg asked, helping his girlfriend to the couch. He made sure she was comfortable as he sat beside her.

"It's a fracture," Dani explained, rubbing her knee as it started throbbing.

"Are you going to be okay?" Mike asked gently.

"The doctor suggested surgery," Dani sighed, looking down at her hands as her hair fell in her face. Her cousins all hissed and looked at her sympathetically. They all knew she feared surgery deeply.

Daniela started to shake once more as she thought about it. On the drive home, her father told her he had booked the surgery and it would take place in two weeks.

In Dani's mind, those were her last two weeks.

"Alright, then after the surgery you'll be good as new!" Ziggy smiled as Dani's fearful look when unnoticed by him.

"I don't want to do this surgery," Dani shook her head, feeling a fresh set of tears come to her eyes. "Something's going to go wrong, I know it."

"Dani, these doctors are doing this surgery for a reason," Summer said, sitting with her cousin. "They can do this, and they won't mess up!"

"How do you know?" Dani frowned. "I saw..."

"That happened years ago, Dan," Mike reassured his cousin, but she wasn't about to calm down.

"And it could happen again! Everyone's got some kind of flaw, and there's going to be several everyone's in the room working on my poor knee!"

"You'll be fine..."

"I don't want to do it," Dani pushed herself off the couch and grabbed her crutches to run off.

Hayden walked up behind her and touched her shoulder, "You'll be okay, Dani," she laughed. "You really have nothing to worry about. And if something does go wrong, I'll standby with my blood to help patch you up."

Dani got an idea. She turned around to look at her older cousin hopefully, "Can you give me blood now and I won't have to do this?"

"Extreme cases only, Dan," Hayden sighed, shaking her head.

"It is extreme!"

Greg could see his girlfriend was distressed so he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Dani, you have nothing to worry about," he assured her.

Dani squirmed out of his arms and hobbled away as quickly as she could. No matter how many times her friends and family told her she was going to be okay, and she was going to come out feeling better than before, she couldn't help but be reminded of her childhood fear.

Doctors were human after all. They were humans who tried to play God. They would cut people open and poke and pry at them until they were satisfied, then they would close the person up. But if they were only human, the chances were that they would make a mistake.

She heard the stories from other kids at the hospital whose parents worked with her father. They had all told her about the many mistakes doctors had made before.

Downstairs, Kaylee watched her niece run off just as Ronny and Doc walked over to the couches.

"She's not dealing with this well, is she?"

Ronny shook her head, "It took us a while to distract her, but as soon as it crosses her mind again she seems to panic again."

"I don't get it," David sighed. "She knows all the doctors are trained professionals. She knows we work hard to make sure we don't have any mistakes."

"David, you've done surgeries before, right?" Kaylee frowned, looking at the older doctor. He nodded. "Well, have you ever made a mistake, or lost a patient?"

"Yes," Doc nodded again, openly admitting his errors. "But..."

"Have you ever come home upset about it and talked to Ronny?"

"Ooh," Hayden hissed wincing as she realised where her mother was going. "Did she hear it?"

"Not that I can remember," David sighed.

"But it's possible," Ronny breathed. "But the stories were never that horrible."

"And death never happened in knee surgery."

"I think something else has her freaked," Greg frowned, "Back in the soup, I did a study on childhood fears, and I know many of them come from fictional stories that have scared children until adulthood. Fear of the dark, is a good example."

"Is she going to go through with the surgery if she's this scared though?" Dr. K asked.

"Actually, she might try to squirm her way out of it for the next few weeks," Ronny breathed. "But we're not cancelling it. The surgery will allow her knee to heal better than just the cast. She'll be better off in the end."

"But until then, no one bring up the surgery," David looked at all the Rangers before his attention turned to the Boom-Twins. "Especially you two. Who know s what stories you guys will come up with."

"Our lips..."

"... are sealed!" the twins saluted.

"Either way, I think someone should talk to her though," Greg spoke as he moved towards the stairs leading to the girls' bedroom. "Maybe I can assure her that the doctors know what they're doing."

"It's going to have to wait," Kaylee called as the alarm started flashing and an attack-bot appeared on the screen. "It looks like Venjix doesn't take sick days."

"We're one Ranger down, though," Scott pointed out, motioning to his team.

"The attack bot is an old stereo system," Dr. K announced, already scanning the monster in the city with Gem and Gemma at her side.

"So, it can make noise?" Flynn asked.

"A lot of noise," K nodded.

Summer smirked, "I can handle noise. I'm not called Screamer for no reason."

Due to her genetic ability to produce a sonic scream, Summer's ears were immune to any loud noise. It was an advantage when listening to her father trying to sing high notes, or even when there was a really loud monster on the loose. What would distract others and burst their eardrums, was nothing for the yellow girl.

"Be careful, though!" Gem called to the Rangers as they were leaving the Garage.

Gemma continued, "The high frequencies could interfere..."

"... with the Ranger technology..."

"... and cause major glitches!"

"And these glitches include...?" Mike pressed on, touching his morpher with his fingers.

"A complete and very dangerous malfunction..."

"... of the morphers."

"Boom!"

"Bam!"

"Ka..."

"POW!" the twins cried, high-fiving each other before looking at their Ranger friends.

"Have..."

"... fun!"

They waved together, sending the Rangers on their way after their usually happy warning.

-----RPM-----

Arriving in the city streets, already morphed, the Rangers saw the CD-Bot causing havoc.

"So, this thing is really loud?" Dillon asked, looking around at the damage the bot created.

"It looks like our room after Summer has a nightmare," Hayden pointed out. The windows on city buildings were shattered, the buildings were also very damaged and the streets were deserted and covered in debris.

"So, aside from loud noise, what can this attack-bot really do?" Ziggy asked. He stepped forward and turned to the team. "I mean, we've all been on the wrong side of a sonic scream before and nothing bad happened."

The attack-bot frowned and quickly pressed a button on the top of its body. Music started to play from the speakers on its sides.

"Hey, that's my mom's music," Summer laughed as she listened closely. She could hear her mother's voice coming out of the speakers.

"It plays pop?" Scott laughed.

"This will be easy," Hayden giggled, patting Ziggy on the shoulder as she stood beside him and looked at the bot. "I used to blast this same song when I was a kid!"

The attack-bot frowned again, before reaching for a knob. The Rangers could tell from the little symbols on the bot that it was the volume knob.

"Here we go," Dillon laughed.

The volume got louder and louder. At first it was bearable, after all, they were teenagers, but as the bot continued to raise the volume, the Rangers started covering their ears. Summer was still the only one immune.

"Ringing..." Flynn hissed, dropping to his knees and holding his head in pain as the music grew louder and louder by the second.

"Summer, shut it off!" Scott ordered from the ground.

"On it," Summer nodded, rushing forward to charge at the monster. He just grinned, pressing a button by the speakers. Suddenly, a sound wave came from the speakers, nailing Summer and throwing her back. It happened so fast, she didn't have time to react or defend herself.

She was throwing right into the building wall and slumped down on the ground, powering down.

"Ow..." she groaned as Dillon rushed to her side, despite the ringing in his ears.

"Louder, CD-Bot!" Tenaya yelled as she stood a few feet away from the bot, smirking.

The bot nodded, turning the volume up to the max. Now the ringing could be heard everywhere.

The Rangers' morphers were starting to spark as they malfunctioned.

"Guys, power down!" Scott ordered, but it was too late. The morphers beeped loudly with the screen flashing red, before they all popped open. One look inside showed the Rangers that everything was destroyed.

"Dammit," Hayden cursed.

"Rangers, fall back!" Scott yelled, helping Ziggy to his feet before turning back. The others were right behind him, holding their heads as they ran off.

-----RPM-----

"Okay, what just happened?" Summer asked her Aunts as they and the others walked into the garage. While they were recovering from the insanely loud ringing, she was going to get information on the bot.

"It seems like this bot is not only loud, but fast as well," Kaylee sighed.

"Dr. K and the twins ran a few extra tests on the bot just before you lost your morphers," Ronny added, taking the small devices from the Rangers for repairs. "He can manipulate sound, obviously, but thanks to that manipulation, he can move at the speed of sound."

"Speed of sound?" Summer frowned. "I know what that is, but I don't get how this bot can..."

Dr. K brought up footage of when the bot attacked Summer. When she played it a first time, it looked like Summer had been thrown back by nothing but air. But the second time Dr. K played it, in slow-motion, Summer saw the waves that pushed her back.

"Okay, speed of sound," Summer sighed. "So this thing is unstoppable?"

"Give me earplugs and I'll rip this bot apart," Dillon muttered.

"It won't be that easy," Dr. K frowned, shaking her head. "It seems that even if you can get past the loud music, it'll still be too quick to reach."

"The attack-bot's got a defence mechanism," Kaylee explained. "As odd as this might sound, I think it's a defensive attack-bot."

"A what now?" Mike asked.

"I get it," Greg smiled, "Venjix is an evolving computer programme. He learns our moves and is always trying to one up us. I guess now he's figured out that sometimes the best offense is a good defence."

"I was never good in gym," Ziggy frowned, "Can you explain, in regular English?"

"Unlike the other attack bots, this one knows when to protect itself, instead of always jumping into battle," Greg said. "If we turn the tables on him and go on the offensive, he'll retaliate by going defensive."

"Whereas the other bots all tried to get back on the offensive by staying offensive," Hayden finished for the young genius."

"Exactly," Greg nodded. "So, if we do try to attack, because the loud music doesn't affect us, he'll protect himself the only way he knows how!"

"BOOM!" the twins yelled as the footage of Summer's defeat was played again.

"I think it's an offensive, defensive attack bot," Mike nodded.

"Whatever it is, it's got us beat," Ronny frowned.

"The only way we can defeat this thing is it we can get past the high volumes and be faster that the speed of sound," K continued.

"Well, isn't Ronny fast?" Flynn asked. "You were the Speedster on your team, right?"

"I was, but even I have a speed limit," Ronny sighed. "Even back in my time as a Ranger, there was no way I could go that fast."

"What is faster than sound?" Ziggy asked.

"Light," Greg shrugged.

"Thunderstorms," Hayden giggled. Everyone turned to her. She looked back and shrugged, "What... I know light is faster than sound because of lightning and thunder. Lightning makes the thunder but they happen at pretty much the same time. The only reason we see lightning then hear thunder is because light travels faster than sound. So when I think of the speed of light or sound, I think thunderstorms."

"You are so weird," Mike laughed, patting his cousin on the head.

Ronny looked over at Kaylee, "If Spencer were still alive, I'm sure he could reprogram my genes an increase my speed," she sighed.

Kaylee nodded, "But seeing as he isn't, we're going to have to go to plan B."

"Plan B?" Scott asked.

"What happened to Plan A?" Ziggy frowned. "When did we discuss a Plan A?"

"Plan A wasn't really a plan. It was more of a... I wish kinda thing," Kaylee sighed.

"So what's Plan B?" Greg asked.

"We get Dani's appointment moved up to today," Ronny frowned as he eyes moved to her daughter's room. "She's fully in tune with her powers. I know she can reach the speeds needed to defeat this monster, but with her knee she can't do it."

"We don't need the surgery," Hayden said. "I could..."

"We thought of that too," Kaylee interrupted. "But we aren't sure if Dani's going to be able to do this right the first time."

"Whoo, confidence!" Greg cheered sarcastically.

"If she can't, we need you guys to distract the monster until try two, three, four, five or more," Ronny said.

"So, Hayden can't use her powers?" Flynn asked.

"We need the team at full strength for this bot," Kaylee nodded.

"So, no using powers to heal Dani so we can all be at the top of our game?" Dillon frowned.

"I know it sounds weird..."

"Weird? It sounds insane!" Mike cried. "We need Dani now, or this bot's going to get into the command center and lower the shields."

Dr. K growled, "If Dani fails, someone's going to have to heal her quick enough so you guys don't take too big of a blow!" she yelled. "If Hayden gives her blood now and Dani fails, that's more blood. If she fails again, it's more blood. Another fail, more blood!"

"And if it keeps going, I'm dead," Hayden breathed, realising why she couldn't help her cousin now.

"The speed of sound is fast," Ronny stated. "I don't think I've ever run at that speed, and I don't think Dani's even dreamt of it. I'm not counting on her to reach it the first time, and if she doesn't, the bot hits her."

"And it hurts," Summer nodded, rubbing her chest where she was hit by the bot.

"So, we're getting Dani into surgery A.S.A.P?" Greg asked. He knew Dani wasn't going to be on board with this, no matter how much was at stake. From her 0-60 attitude when the surgery was brought up, he knew she feared surgery deeply. He just didn't know why.

Upstairs, Dani was sitting on her bed in tears as she hugged her pillow. Karly crawled up on the bed next to her and looked at the sock human's daughter.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"I don't want surgery," Dani frowned, wiping her tears. "I can't do it."

"Why?" Karly asked, tilting her head to the side. "It seems easy. You sleep right through it and when you're done, you're good as new. Sounds like a cat nap to me."

"Karls, my dad's the best doctor in this city, and he's screwed up from time to time..."

"So?"

"So, if the best doctor can screw up on something, who's to say the other doctors won't mess up my knee?" Dani yelled.

"Why do you think they're going to mess up?"

"I saw someone once," Dani whispered. "He came out of a knee surgery and the results weren't good at all. The other kids... older kids, told me their thoughts on what happened..."


	4. Fractured Part II

Ronny had a big race, Kaylee was on one of her biggest tours, Dustin was helping Kelly at work and Lily and Casey were on a family vacation in New York.

Little Dani had no babysitter for the day while her father was at work. He tried the family and friends, and he tried all the neighbourhood teens. This left David with no other option. He had to take her to work with him.

Thankfully, he wasn't the only parent who had their child, so some of the interns volunteered to watch all the little munchkins while the parents were hard at work. The day had turned into an unofficial _Bring Your Child to Work Day_.

After a grilled cheese lunch, eight year old Dani had escaped the playroom to find her father. She had been asking for him for him since he dropped her off.

"Daniela!" one of the older boys called, running down the hall to catch up with the small red head. "Sarah's looking for you."

Sarah was one of the interns who had foolishly taken on the responsibility of watching Daniela. When she had her back turned for a second, the young speedster had taken off.

"I don't care," Dani huffed, crossing her arms. "I want to find my daddy."

"Your daddy's in the needle room," the boy frowned, referring to the operating room. "He's making another Frankenstein."

"A what?" Dani asked, looking at the ten year old. He wrapped his arm around Dani and explained.

"He's cutting someone open and reattaching other people's body parts," the boy smiled. He pointed to a man limping down the halls wearing only a hospital gown that exposed his legs.

One leg was perfectly fine. The other, however was bent sideways and scarred, as if this man had just gotten his knee caught in a blender. Dani's eyes widened as she looked at the man.

"I heard he was in the needle room," the ten year old grinned seeing Daniela's fearful looks.

Another boy came to his side, "I heard he had surgery and the doctors made a big booboo."

"A booboo?" Dani frowned. "Nahuh, doctors always fix booboos, they don't make them. My daddy told me so."

"Your daddy lied," the second boy said. "Doctors mess up every once in a while."

"So, the doctors did that?"

"Yep," the first boy nodded. "My friend Mitchy told me this guy had knee pain, so the doctors ripped his knee open and looked inside. When they went to fix it, they put it back wrong."

Dani gulped before Sarah found her and the other two boys.

"There you are," she smiled, picking up the little girl and taking the first boy by the hand. "No more running off. If you guys walk into the wrong room, you could get very sick."

As Sarah took the kids away, a doctor walked into the hall and patted the man with the twisted knee on the shoulder.

"Are you ready for the surgery?" he smiled.

"More than ready, doctor," the man nodded. "Hopefully you guys will be able to help me out. That accident really messed me up."

"We'll do everything we can," the doctor assured the patient.

Dani was already half way down the hall and didn't hear this conversation. She looked over at Sarah and poked her cheek.

"Yes Dani?"

"Do doctors mess up?" she asked.

"All the time!" the first boy grinned, but Sarah pulled on his arm and frowned before looking back at Dani.

"Not all the time," she assured the young girl, "but it does happen every once in a while."

"Will it happen to me?" Dani asked.

"Not if you don't get hurt," Sarah smiled. "Now come on, let's go play."

"Actually, Sarah, I'll take her," David called from the waiting room. "Dustin phoned and told me he could take Dani."

David took his daughter in his arms and smiled at Sarah. He thanked her for watching the little monster all day.

"You hear that munchkin?" David smiled, bouncing the little speedster in his arms when he saw she wasn't smiling, "You're going to go play with Hayden and Uncle Dustin. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Yeah, daddy," Daniela smiled for her father, but she couldn't get the picture of the man with the sideways knee out of her head.

"_The doctors ripped his knee open and looked inside. When they went to fix it, they put it back wrong."_

-----RPM-----

"That's why you're scared?" Karly asked while looking up at Dani and giving her the stupidest look she could muster for a cat, "Because a kid told you a lie?"

"I know it was a lie... kinda..." Dani shrugged as she twirled her hair and looked around nervously. "But... I just... I know things can go wrong. Dad's screwed up, and he's the best! I'm getting the doctors who aren't as good!"

"So?" Karly asked. "They are doctors, right? At least you're not getting a thermometer shoved up your ass! Stupid vets..."

"You are a bitter kitty," Dani frowned. Karly looked up at the youngest Ranger and sighed.

"How about I make you a deal?" she proposed, "If you calm down until the surgery, and go through with it with an optimistic mind, I'll leave your mother's lucky socks alone until you're fully healed."

"I can't be optimistic, Karly, they're gonna slice my knee open and do God knows what!"

"I must be God!" Karly smirked, curling up on Dani's lap, careful as she walked on the red head's legs. "Because I know what they're going to do."

"What?"

"FIX YOUR KNEE!" Karly yelled, jumping on Dani's chest and pinning her down on the bed. "If there was a chance something would go wrong, would your dad let these doctors test fate? The reason got you an appointment was because he knows it's for the best. Believe this old cat when I tell you, you have nothing to fear but fear itself."

"Thanks, now I fear fear," Dani huffed. Karly glared at the young teen, giving her a desperate look. Dani looked down and smiled as she reached out to pet the cat. "But, if you're sure nothing's going to happen to me, then I guess I can calm down. And I have two weeks to get ready for it... right?"

"Exactly," Karly nodded. "And I'll be a good kitty and I'll wait for you to wake up."

"And..." Dani pressed with a knowing smirked.

"And...?" Karly asked with an innocent face.

"What else, Karls?"

"I won't stare you down until you wake up," Karly sighed, rolling her eyes. "But now I have to make up for it!"

"How?" Dani asked.

"I will stare you down in your sleep every morning until your surgery."

"You have two weeks," Dani growled.

There was a sudden knock at the door, before Ronny and David stepped in. Ronny sat on the bed beside her daughter, eyeing the cat, while David stood at the foot of the bed.

"Dani, can we talk to you?" he asked. Dani nodded.

"I don't have to do the surgery?" Dani asked hopefully. David's expression darkened as he shook his head.

"Dan," Ronny continued, taking her daughter's hand. "The Rangers need you in battle to defeat a monster... they can't do it without you."

"Well, they're going to have to wait two weeks... right?" Dani had a lump in her throat. She dreaded the news coming next.

"Not quite, kiddo,' Ronny sighed. "The city of Corinth is in grave danger, and the only way to protect it is for you to get fixed up."

"But my surgery's in two weeks, and you can't move it..."

"We had to call in an emergency surgery. "You're going into the OR first thing tomorrow morning."

Dani was wide eyed as she looked at both of her parents before she screamed and hid under the covers. Karly rubbed up against the lump sympathetically, before glaring at the sock human and her husband.

"And I just got her to consider the surgery," she growled.

"Sorry, Karls," Ronny frowned.

"For that, I steal your socks," Karly jumped onto Ronny's head then hopped over to the dresser, where Ronny's socks were hanging from Dani's top drawer. She grabbed them in her mouth and darted off.

Ronny rolled her eyes and grabbed the lump of blankets that was her daughter.

"I know you're scared," she whispered. "But I promise; everything's going to be okay."

-----RPM-----

"Daniela, come down, please?" Ronny called, twirling her car keys in her hands as Dani stood at the top of the stairs, shaking her head.

"No!" she yelled as she crossed her arms, keeping her crutches close by in case she needed to "run" away. Greg walked over beside Ronny and looked up at his girlfriend.

"C'mon Dani, it's a simple surgery. You'll be in and out before you know it."

"Knowing it, knowing it, knowing it," Dani frowned. She pointed down at the man she loved, "LIAR!"

"I give up," Greg sighed, moving over to the couch. Flynn patted him on the shoulder before the alarm went off and the CD-Bot appeared on the monitors.

"Looks like we gotta run," Dillon said, hopping up off the couch and darting off with the others.

"We've officially lost all back up," Ronny breathed as she looked at the doc leaning against the car, waiting to leave.

"I blame you for this," David frowned. "It's your hard head that's keeping her from changing her mind."

"I know, I know," Ronny said. She looked back up at the second level, but Dani was gone. She turned to her husband, but he shrugged. Rolling her eyes, Ronny stuffed her keys in her pocket and moved towards the stairs.

"Daniela Lillian Marks, we have to go!"

"NO!" Dani's voice rang from the bedrooms.

"C'mon, Dani, what's the worst that can really happen?" David yelled up to his daughter. He looked at Dr. K and growled, "Not a word!"

She put her hands up defensively as she sat in her chair to monitor the battle between the bot and the Rangers.

"It seems our Rangers aren't doing so well," Dr. K announced.

"Send in the Zords and squish this thing," Ronny said. "It seems Dani's not going to go until we knock some sense into her."

Gem and Gemma ran over to the Marks parents.

"Would you like..."

"... us to talk to her?" they asked.

Ronny and David shook their heads desperately.

"No, no it's okay, really," they tried, but the twins weren't going to have it.

"We'll be right..."

"... back!"

"No, no! Guys!" David yelled while the twins disappeared into Dani's room. Ronny looked at him, and he only had one word. "Shit."

Not even five minutes passed before the twins walked out of the bedroom with solemn looks on their faces. They approached Dani's parents and sighed.

"Dani won't be..."

"... coming out anytime soon."

"I figured," Ronny nodded.

"Morphers have been disabled," Dr. K called as Kaylee joined to help the battle. "The Rangers are in combat... completely unharmed."

Kaylee moved to the intercom, "Daniela, get your fearful ass down here. The Rangers need you."

"I'm not coming!" Daniela replied, using her morpher.

"Come on, Dani," Kaylee pleaded. "I know you're scared, and you have every right to be, but your friends need you!"

"They can do just fine without me!"

"Dani, just come down, please?" Kaylee asked. "You're not going to leave until you're good and ready."

There was a silence on the other end while Kaylee assured Ronny and David she had a plan.

"Promise?" Dani asked, breaking the silence.

"Aunt's honour," Kaylee smiled.

Kaylee, the twins, Dr. K and the Marks could hear Dani moving from her bed to the door. She walked out of the bedroom and slowly made her way downstairs. Kaylee greeted her at the bottom of the stairs and helped her over to the monitors.

The first thing Dani saw was her friends, caught in an explosion caused by the monster.

"That's what they're up against?" she asked with a laugh. "It makes them look pathetic."

"It's a sound monster," Dr. K explained. "It's capable of generating loud music which can permanently ruin the average human's ear, and it possesses the ability to move at the speed of sound, making it virtually impossible to defeat."

"Here comes the drama," Dani rolled her eyes.

"Daniela, the Rangers need your super speed to defeat this monster!" Dr. K frowned. "We need you to reach the speed of light and get a shot on this monster so the Rangers can finish him."

"And I can't do that if I hobble, right?" Dani sighed.

"Baby girl, this is why we need you to go into surgery now. You'll recover much faster and we'll defeat this monster," David smiled, hugging his daughter.

"But even with the surgery, it'll be a while before I'm okay to run, never mind fight."

"We were kinda hoping you weren't going to listen to that part," Kaylee winked.

Dani looked at the monitor, which had been muted because the Bot was playing his loud music. She saw her friends holding their heads in pain and Summer trying to get close to the monster.

"C'mon, Dani, where is that fearless sixteen year old silver Ranger we all know and love?" Kaylee smiled.

Dani was about to give in, until she remembered the words that scared her as a kid.

"_The doctors ripped his knee open and looked inside. When they went to fix it, they put it back wrong."_

She shook her head and pushed back tears, "I... I can't do it... I'm sorry."

"Dani!" Kaylee called, running after her niece who was trying to take off, "Dani, listen, you can do this. I know you can!"

"I can't, Aunt Kaylee! I'm scared, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"We all get scared, Nascar," Kaylee assured her niece, "But you can't let that stop you. Are you really going to let your friends die because you don't want to do a simple surgery?"

"Stop calling it simple!" Dani yelled, shoving her Aunt away. "It's not simple! It's my knee! This could ruin my life! One little mistake and I could never walk right again!"

Dani stormed out of the lab and hobbled over to the couches to hide. Dr. K turned back to the monitors, the Rangers weren't doing well at all.

-----RPM-----

"Remind me to murder my mother," Summer cursed, helping her friends up as the music stopped playing. The morphers had died long ago, and they were on their own. "If I hear her song play one more time!"

The monster flipped a switch, playing the music from the start.

"Shut up!" Ziggy yelled, holding his head and dropping to the ground again. "I'm going to need some heavy painkillers after this!"

"That's it, my eardrums will heal!" Hayden screamed, getting to her feet and surprising the monster by drowning out his music.

Unfortunately, the monster recovered from the shock long before Hayden could get close, and he flipped another switch, causing a sonic boom. The sound waves bounced off the buildings, attacking the Rangers with brute force.

The world went silent for every Ranger, except Summer, as a loud ringing took over.

"We can't beat this guy without Dani!" Summer yelled.

-----RPM-----

Ronny watching the monitors and screamed as she looked at the door to the lab, where her daughter left moments ago. She didn't want to pressure her daughter to do something she wasn't ready to do, but the rest of the team was depending on her.

It wasn't a matter of shaking off the fear and getting out there. It was a matter of life or death for the entire city of Corinth.

"I'm not going to let them get pounded," Ronny frowned, throwing on her jacket. "If Dani won't help them, I have to try!"

"Ronny," David called, catching his wife by the arm, "There's no way you can reach the speed of light, especially at this age."

"At what age?" Ronny asked, crossing her arms and glaring at her husband.

"The young age you will always be," David smirked, recovering quickly, earning him a high-five from Kaylee. "But you can't get hurt..."

"How else can we help the team?" Ronny frowned, "Name another speedster."

"The Ninjas!" Kaylee smiled.

"Can you move at the speed of light, though?" Ronny asked. Kaylee took a deep breath and frowned, "Thought so."

"Maybe we can psyche the CD-Bot out though," Kaylee suggested.

"Impossible," Dr. K sighed, "The attack-bot is quick to learn the Rangers' move, and none of them are in any position to go on the offensive. Ranger Red, Blue, Black, Greens and Gold's vitals are all at 25%, Yellow's vitals are at 46% and Pinks are obviously still very high, but I don't know if she'll be able to handle the ringing much longer."

"What?" Kaylee yelled when she heard how bad the Rangers were. "Call them back."

"I'm afraid all electronic communication is impossible," Dr. K frowned.

Kaylee shut her eyes, disappearing in a cloud of green smoke. Seconds later, she was back with all the Rangers in tow.

The boys dropped unconscious and Summer landed on her knees. Hayden knelt down beside her cousin and looked over at her mom.

"Is Dani gone yet?" she asked.

Kaylee shook her head, "She refuses to go."

"But we need her!" Summer begged.

"I'm afraid whatever's scaring Daniela isn't going to leave her alone until she realises this fear is irrational."

"So she's going to jeopardize the entire team because she won't go into surgery?" Hayden frowned. "It's a stupid fear! She knows she'll be okay! She's just being a sucky baby!"

"Yeah, and this is coming from the kid who can heal on demand!" Dani yelled, leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed. "I heard the zwopping noise and figured Aunt K would be bringing you guys back. I didn't know I was going to be insulted in the process!"

"At least I never put the team in danger! If I remember correctly, I put my life on the line all the time for you guys! And you won't even return the favour?"

"You can heal! Spontaneously! Sometimes you don't even feel pain! I'm a regular slow healing teenage girl about to go into knee surgery! There's a huge difference!"

"You're going to let us all break our necks out there just so you don't have to..."

"Okay!" Ronny and Kaylee called, getting between the girls. Kaylee looked down at her daughter with a disapproving look.

"I know this is frustrating, Hayden, but this is more than just a simple fear for Dani," Kaylee scolded.

"And it's also the end of the world! She's not just letting us down; she's letting Corinth, NewTech and the entire World down!" Hayden yelled.

"So screaming at her is going to help?" Kaylee asked. "You chill out and help the boys and Summer. We'll deal with Dani."

"But..."

"Hayden Victoria, I will kick your ass if you say another word!" Kaylee yelled. "Now take the boys to their rooms and apologize to your cousin!"

Hayden huffed, leaving the room while Gem and Gemma helped carry out the boys who were coming too.

Kaylee looked to Dani, "As mean as she was, Hayden's got a point, Daniela," she said, "You're a Ranger. Your job is to put the safety and wellbeing of others first. You can't let your fears stop you from doing what's right."

"Aunt K..."

"I'm giving you one extra day to think about this Dani. I'll go out there and Zwop the monster outside of the city. We'll raise the shields to full power for 24 hours. After that, you have to choose, go into surgery and save the world, or let the team go off on their own."

Dani frowned, turning to her mother, "This isn't fair."

"Normally, I wouldn't pressure you, Dan, but there's a lot more at stake now," Ronny said. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

Daniela turned to her father, looking like the little eight year old girl he took to the hospital, "Daddy... I can't..."

David walked over, holding his daughter in his arms, "What's got you so scared, Dani? When did all this start?"

"With Sarah... she said doctors do screw up sometimes... and... I'm scared that... What if it happens with me?"

David hugged his baby girl, finally realising the source of her fear.

"That's not going to happen, I promise," he assured her.

"I want you to do it!" Daniela cried, "You're the best! You're less likely to mess up! You have to operate! Please!"

"Dani, I can't do it! You're my daughter!"

"I don't care!" Dani shook her head. "I want you to do it!"

"I'll do everything I can, but I can't do the surgery. I'm sorry, baby girl, but you're going to have to trust the other doctors."

"They'll screw up..."

"No they won't," David smiled, "I've worked with every one of the doctors who will be working on you. They are all trained and very experienced. Nothing's going to go wrong."

"What if... what if something happens? What if the bot finds out and attacks the hospital and..."

"It won't happen, kiddo," David said, "No one's ever going to hurt you, and if they do, they have to get past your mother..."

David leaned down and whispered in Dani's ear, "I hate to admit it, but she's a lot tougher than me. She's a freaking Power Ranger!"

Dani giggled softly, wiping her tears, "Promise I'll be okay?"

"I promise," David smiled, "And normally, it takes a few weeks to recover, but knowing you, pain or shine, you'll be out helping your team, right?"

"Right," Dani nodded.

"Do you still need time to think about it?" Dr. K asked. Kaylee was already long gone in her attempt to Zwop the monster out of the city.

Dani nodded, "I'll go... but... I'm still scared..."

"I didn't expect anything else," David said. He took Dani's crutches as she climbed on his back. "Alright, the hero's on her way! Everyone get out of mine!"


	5. Daniela's Courage

"Alright, Dani, everything's set," David smiled, coming into his daughter's room after prepping everyone for the surgery. "Are you ready?"

Dani was shaking as she tried to take her mind off what was going to happen. Ronny was lying in the bed beside her, playing with her hair and holding her close to comfort her.

"They aren't going to mess up?" Dani asked.

"I talked them through the entire surgery," David assured his daughter, "Twice."

"You'll be fine," Ronny nodded.

"Miss Daniela Marks?" The doctor called, with a clipboard in his hand, as he stepped into the room. "We're ready for you."

David leaned in and kissed his daughter to help her fear.

"Love you, Nascar," he smiled.

Ronny hugged her baby girl and traced the fractured knee very gently, "You don't worry about a thing, squirt. You just keep thinking about the surprise you'll get when you recover."

Dani smiled brightly as David and Ronny were escorted out of the room by a nurse. The two parents were led to the waiting room and found Gem, Gemma, Dr. K and Kaylee.

"So, is she in?" Kaylee asked.

"I'm scared for her," Ronny sighed.

"Ronny, the doctors have all done this before, with miraculous results. Everything's going to be okay," David smiled, holding his wife.

"Everything better be," Ronny threatened, sinking in the chair to wait. "If not, we're getting another kid to make up for losing this one."

"She'll be fine," David laughed. He leaned over to Kaylee, "For my sake, she better be."

-----RPM-----

"I'm sick and tired of this stupid monster," Mike groaned, slamming his fists on the ground, "How long until Dani gets here?"

"The surgery just started, Mike," Scott frowned, standing in the city streets in front of his team.

Just as the CD-Bot turned up the volume, Summer let out a scream. The Rangers found out this was the only way to counter his attacks, and though it did no damage to the bot, it also meant there was no damage to the team.

"My vocal chords will never be the same again," Summer whispered with a hoarse voice. Dillon patted her on the shoulder.

"We'll get you into surgery when this is done," he teased. Summer smacked him in the stomach.

"It's not funny," she frowned. "Daniela's fear isn't something you should make fun of."

"She's afraid of getting better," Ziggy laughed.

"Uh, Summer," Flynn pointed to the monster as he tried to raise the volume. Summer rolled her eyes, thrusting her small body forward as a loud scream echoed through the city, bringing up a shield to protect the Rangers from the sonic blasts (ears were a different story though).

"You better hope laryngitis doesn't get me before Dani gets here," Summer frowned to the others.

"Maybe we can strike this guy before Dani gets here," Scott suggested. "Save her from damaging her knee after the surgery."

"Aw, but I don't want to be music pancake à-la-building again," Mike grumbled.

"What are you suggesting?" Dillon asked the leader. Scott grinned.

"While Summer keeps the wall of noise up, we charge forward. Hopefully one good scream will protect us long enough to hit big bad and tone-deaf."

"One flaw," Summer croaked. "I've got nothing left! You guys better make this good, because if you screw up, there's no retake."

"Everyone know what to do?" Scott asked the team.

"Hit the monster or die trying!" Hayden cheered.

"Not quite," Scott frowned, "But close enough. Rangers, ready?"

"Ready?" everyone answered as the monster flipped the switch, cranking up the volume to the max. Summer took a deep breath before throwing out everything she had.

Her sonic scream against his sonic blast was an even match, and her scream provided a shield for the Rangers to charge forward."

"A little more, Summer!" Scott yelled, nearing the end of the road before Summer's scream stopped and the monster's painful music began. Summer cursed her leader as she pushed harder.

"Almost there, Screamer!" Mike encouraged, "Just a little more! You got this."

"Street Sabre!" Scott yelled, pulling out his sword to slash the monster and land the final blow. Suddenly, Summer's scream stopped and the Rangers were hit with all of the giant boom box's power. They soared through the sky, landing right behind a collapsed Summer.

"Damn it!" Scott cursed, holding his hands over his ears to block out the loud and painful noise.

-----RPM-----

"_Could this be the end of the Power Rangers? With one powerful Attack Bot threatening the city, and one Ranger out of commission, it looks like Venjix is finally going to finish off humanity. The fate of the city lies in the hands of our youngest hero."_

Dani slowly awoke after the surgery to that depressing statement from the new reporter on TV. She could feel the medication still in effect, but it had finally allowed her to come out of her dream world.

"How did it go?" Dani asked hoping someone was in the room to hear her.

"Perfectly," Ronny smiled. "The doctors fixed up your knee and told us it'll be a little while still until you're up and about."

"But my team..." Dani frowned.

"Worst case scenario, you hurt your knee again and Kaylee gives you some of her blood so you're not back here," Ronny explained. "I know you shouldn't be out there fighting, but the Rangers really need you. Summer's down, the Rangers are pretty much deaf and the city is pretty much in ruins. We need you to take this risk."

"Taking risks is what I do," Dani smiled, "Except in surgeries... scariest hours of my life!"

David handed Dani her knee brace, "If you're going into battle, keep this on," he said.

"But I can't run with it," Dani frowned.

"You'll figure out another way, I'm sure," he smiled. Dani took the brace and put it on. "This is just to keep you from permanently damaging it."

"Are you sure I should be going out there, running at the speed of light right after surgery?" Dani asked.

"If you didn't have an Aunt with Semi-Spontaneous regeneration and a cousins with spontaneous regeneration, I would I tied you to that bed," David laughed, "But I know, in the end, you'll be fine, and I'll have the old Dani back."

"Awesome!" Dani grinned.

"Just, be carefully, baby girl," David said, helping his daughter out of the bed. "You're only human, and you could really mess this knee up."

"I'll be fine, Dad," Dani laughed, "I'm only just getting out of surgery, running into the middle of the toughest battle on my life to face off against the loudest monster on the face of the planet and pushing my super human abilities way beyond my limit to try and reach the speed of light. What's the worst that can happen?"

David and Ronny's jaw dropped as Dani ran out of the hospital with her RPM morpher in her hands. They exchanged worried looks with the other and gulped.

"If anything happens to her..."

"Another baby, I know," David sighed, wrapping his arms around his wife and sitting on Dani's bed with her.

-----RPM-----

"Okay, now I'm really starting to hate my mom!" Hayden yelled as Kaylee's music started playing. The monster figured Kira's songs were getting old, and went for another famous artist.

"I've already thought of ways to murder both Aunt Ks," Mike grumbled.

Another blast was aimed at the Rangers, throwing them off their feet and into the building to be squished like pancakes.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" Flynn asked, trying to resist the monster's power.

"The fact that we can't defeat a freaking stereo?" Greg growled.

"I've had the song _Just Words_ stuck in my head for days now!"

"It's better than the bridge of _Freak You Out!"_ Hayden frowned, "Those three words were in my head all night last night... my mother's and Aunt's voices are no longer soothing, but nightmare producing!"

"Tell me about it," Summer said with her frog voice.

"HEY MISTER!" Dani called, standing on the side of the street as she diverted the giant Stereo's attention away from her friends and onto herself. The bot turned to her, turning off its blasts. The Rangers fell to the ground in a motionless heap. Dani winced as she witnessed this, but kept her focus on battle. "I hear you're pretty fast... for a hunk of junk!"

The bot blurted out a couple of offbeat noises, and Dani frowned.

"My uncle sings better than you do," she said, "and he sounds like a llama dying of thirst in the Sahara. I don't know what it's doing in the Sahara or why it's dying of thirst, but it sounds nasty."

The bot said something else and Dani growled.

"Can we just get on with it?" she asked. "I have an after surgery surprise to get too."

The bot stomped its feet and muttered something else, before the sonic blasts were shot at Dani.

"Come on, come on," Dani whispered to herself, readying her body for the fastest run of her life. "Come on!"

She managed to dodge the first wave of blasts, but failed to reach the speed of light before hitting the monster, and he jumped out of the way. Dani stumbled and landed right in front of her team.

Hayden was first to recover, naturally, and sliced her hand on some fallen debris. She crawled over to her younger cousin and found a cut. As planned, she used her blood to heal Dani for round two.

Dani got back to her feet and stepped aside so the CD-Bot's blasts weren't going to hit her friends. She glared at the monster and readied herself again.

"That... wasn't what I was expecting," Dani grinned. She eyed the attack bot carefully as the music started to play again. "Going in!" she yelled, speeding towards the monster. She didn't reach the needed speed as the monster side stepped away from her, causing her to skid and slide on the ground. She slammed her fists on the grounds and looked at her knee. Even with Hayden's blood, it didn't manage to fully heal before she used it again, and it was starting to swell under the brace.

"Last time, I promise," she whispered, getting to her feet. She wiped the dirt off her jacket and glared at the monster. "You're really getting on my bad side."

Daniela grabbed onto a pole with one hand and started running around it in circles to bring up her speed while the monster prepared its final shot.

"Do or die," Hayden whispered, covering her head in her arms. The other Rangers did the same, but everyone kept one eye on the battle.

"Come on, Dani!" Greg cheered, "Build it up; knock him down!"

Dani whimpered as a sharp pain could be felt in her knee and she stopped running, losing all her momentum. She fell to the ground, holding her knee.

"It's too soon," Ziggy frowned, looking over at Greg. He shook his head.

"Don't give up, Dan!" Greg encouraged.

The bot blasted the loud music, hitting Daniela and sending her back.

"NO!" Greg yelled, thinking this was the end. He knew how strong the bot was, and if he injured Dani, there was no way the Rangers could beat him now.

Dani flew through the air, but refused to give up, she repositioned herself to land on her feet, and used the push from the blast to help her speed up. Right before running into a building, she turned around to face the monster, running at full speed.

"Guys!" Flynn called, pointing to a fading silver blur in the streets. "I think... I think its Dani."

"Faster... faster..." Dani muttered as she continued to hit high speeds. Suddenly, she disappeared and the attack bot was sent flying high into the sky. Dani leaped up in the air, still at the speed of light, and followed the monster.

"Cloud hatchet!" Daniela yelled, pulling out her weapon and aiming for the bot. "Ice mode!"

She shot the monster, hitting him and freezing him in the skies. The monster dropped rapidly to the ground and was smashed into pieces on contact. Dani was still being pushed up by her speeds.

"Yes!" the Rangers cheered, getting to their feet to celebrate.

Dani looked down as she started to fall, fearing the worse. She knew she couldn't land uninjured and her knee wasn't ready to fully support her weight as of yet, especially after the way she abused it. Her suit faded from overuse and Dani was left the plummet, unprotected.

Greg saw this and needed to find some way to help her. He ran over to Ziggy, "Teleport!"

"I can't!" Ziggy frowned, "Broken morpher!"

"I could make a pool of water," Mike suggested.

"That'll kill her!" Greg frowned. At the speed and height she'll falling at there's no way she'll make it.

"Zwoop!" Summer croaked, looking to Hayden. "When you zwoop, you keep your powers."

Hayden smirked before she was surrounded by a cloud of pink smoke and a loud zwoop echoed through the air.

Dani landed, breaking nearly every bone in her body, while the Rangers waited to see if the zwoop worked on time.

"Ouch," Hayden winced. "I'm so glad that wasn't me."

Dani pushed herself up and the Rangers could hear the bones going back into place before another zwoop.

Greg rushed to Dani's side, helping her to her feet, "Dani?"

"Note to self," Dani started, "Never underestimate the power of zwooping and healing."

"I'm awesome!" Hayden smiled, shrugging playfully. "Zwooping has saved the day, and now I must get these songs out of my head."

"How's your knee?" Scott asked the young Ranger. Daniela looked down at her leg, bending it slightly. It was still slightly swollen and sore, but much better off than it was a few minutes before.

"It'll live," Daniela smiled.

"We better get back," Scott laughed, patting the red head on the back. "Some of us need a doctor."

"Well, those who can call for one," Dillon smirked, looking over at Summer. She was rubbing her throat until she caught what Dillon had said. With those angry eyes Dillon hated, she turned to him and growled. "Sorry, Sunshine."

-----RPM-----

"You beat it!" Kaylee cheered as the Rangers walked back into the base after their latest victory. "I knew we could do it! I just... had no idea when it was going to happen."

"Thankfully I managed to talk Daniela into the surgery," Karly smirked. She glared over at David and Ronny, "Until you two humans ruined it."

"Hey, in the end, everything worked out," Flynn smiled.

"It took a lot of guts to go out there, Dani," Scott said. "You really helped the team."

"Guts?" Daniela frowned, "I was freaking out the entire time."

"But you faced your fear," Dr. K said, "And that is true courage."

"I'm so awesome," Daniela giggled as she was pulled into Greg's arms.

"Oh!" Ronny cried before disappearing into a back room. David had a guilty smile on his face as he tried to contain his excitement. The Rangers looked around in confusion.

"That was..."

"... odd," Gem and Gemma spoke, and the Rangers agreed.

"What are you guys planning?" Dani asked her parents. David just shrugged.

"It's a big of a tradition after surgery to give the patient a little something," David laughed before Ronny pulled out a giant stuffed car. Dani was over the moon as she ran to it and jumped right into it, squeezing it happily.

"It's so cuddly!" she smiled, "Summer will have to sleep on the floor. Vroom Car needs a bed to sleep in."

Summer tried to croak out a response, but nothing came. Dillon laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh, Doc D, I think we kinda pushed her a little too far," he chuckled. David smiled.

"Summer, just rest your voice for a few days," he laughed.

"No talking?" Hayden asked for her cousin. David nodded.

"A minimum."

Mike smirked as she looked over at his blonde cousin and flicked the back of her head. She turned around to yell at him, but he covered her mouth.

"Rest your voice, remember, Summer," he smirked, flicking her again. Summer tried to swat his hand away, but Mike was too fast.

"If you want me to stop, Summer, you just have to say so," he teased.

Summer turned to her Aunt, raising her eyebrows. Kaylee breathed in deeply.

"I don't know, Sum, he is one of my only bio nephews," Kaylee smirked. "Oh, whatever, I'll still have Jason, go ahead."

Summer grinned happily as she turned to Mike and grabbed a fistful of hair in her hand.

"Ow, Summer, that hurts," Mike frowned as Summer pulled him to the door. "Summer... OW! Okay, I'll stop, I promise, just... OW!"

Greg laughed at the two cousins before turning back to Dani, who was getting comfortable sitting on top of her giant plush car.

"Where did you guys find that thing?" he asked.

"You know..." Ronny started, exchanging a look with David, "I have no idea. But hey, we got it and almost everything is back to normal."

"Summer, put down the fork!" Mike yelled from the kitchen.

"Damn it," Kaylee muttered, running out of the lab to save her nephew from Summer.

"Alright, now everything's normal," Scott laughed.


	6. Ancient History

Flynn, Ziggy and Hayden were by the pool table as Flynn played his shot, missing the pocket but setting Ziggy up for the impossible.

"Well, it looks like you're stuck now, eh Ziggy?" Flynn smirked, patting his green friend on the back.

"Okay, I see what you're trying to do," Ziggy laughed, "How about I bet you an oil change that I can hit that eight ball into that corner pocket."

Flynn looked at the ball, sitting between both striped balls with no way of being hit by the cue ball. He turned to Hayden who was smiling at him.

"You're on," he said, shaking Ziggy's hand to seal the deal. Ziggy smiled, setting up his shot. He levelled his stick in front of the black ball, forgetting the cue ball, and sunk his shot just as he promised.

"Oh," Hayden laughed, looking up at Flynn, "I think you need to be more specific."

"Fortunately, Ziggy doesn't have a car, never mind need an oil change," Flynn chuckled and Ziggy's expression dropped.

The alarm sounded suddenly. The two boys and Hayden gathered with the other Rangers around Dr. K's computer to speak with the Colonel.

"What have we got?" Scott asked.

"_There was a shield breach in the eastern sector. An hour later, sensors picked up some sort of excavation in the south mountain range. Any idea what Venjix is looking for?"_

"The Sulphured Mountains," Gemma started, "That's where..."

"... they dumped the old technology from Alphabet Soup!" Gem finished, looking over at the Rangers, then at Dr. K, Gemma and Greg.

"It's mostly junk," Dr. K spoke, hoping nothing would come of this. If anyone in the city searched there, there would be a chance they found records about how Venjix was created, or rather, by whom he was created.

Dr. K had the biggest part. It was up to her to make the computer code, later virus, that would be called Venjix. If Col. Truman found out, he would surely was a warrant for her arrest.

Greg hadn't created Venjix, but he did assist Dr. K every once in a while when she got stuck, and some of his work was recorded in the Venjix base code.

"_Well, it may be nothing, but I've sent out a team to take a look. I'll keep you posted._"

Communication stopped, and Scott spoke up, "Do you have any idea what they might be looking for, Doc?"

"Get out there, right away," Dr. K ordered. "Anything that looks like it still might work, destroy it! That stuff cannot fall into the wrong hands."

"What about you, Doc?" Greg asked, putting his hands on Dr. K's shoulders and spinning her around. "If we're out of the city, who's going protect you if the Colonel finds out?"

"I'm staying here," Kaylee smiled from the back room. "You guys go and make sure I don't have to unleash a can of whoop-ass on the Colonel."

"I'll stay here too," Samantha called, cradling Engel. "And the twins as well. If the Colonel finds out, he'll be pissed."

-----RPM----

"I thought this was supposed to be a Wasteland!" Hayden called the others as they ran through an open forest, jumping over roots and ducking under the occasional branch. Greg was at the head of the team and stopped suddenly beside a giant hole.

"Whoa!" Ziggy called, running up the edge and trying not to fall in. Dillon and Flynn grabbed his arms and steadied him, hiding their smirks under their helmets.

"That's it," Greg pointed inside the hole.

"Are you sure?" Daniela asked her boyfriend as she knelt beside the hole to look inside, "It looks dark in there."

"Why don't you flip a switch?" Dillon teased. Daniela rolled her eyes.

Scott turned to the Gold Ranger, "How do we get down there? It looks like a pretty long drop."

"Alphabet Soup was an underground facility... a very big facility," Greg sighed, "Who knows how far down this thing goes."

"Think we should climb down?" Mike suggested.

"It looks like our only option," Flynn nodded.

Mike suddenly felt something hit him in the back of the helmet, and he turned around to find Summer holding a long vine. Because she was forced to overuse her sonic scream and damaged her vocals, she had been ordered to shut up for a few days to allow them to heal. At first she thought it was going to be torture, especially with Mike and Hayden taking advantage of her inability to tell them to stop, but now that she found other ways of communicating her thoughts, such as punching Mike or whipping him in the head with giant vines, she was satisfied.

"Summer's found something," Mike smiled as the team ran over to her.

"What is it girl? What did you find?" Hayden asked, petting Summer's helmet. They yellow Ranger glared, before hitting her cousin in the stomach. "Ow..."

Flynn grabbed the vine and smiled, "We can use this to lower someone into the hole and see how far down it really goes!"

"We'll need someone small, light, and agile," Scott grinned, looking over at Daniela and Ziggy, the two smallest Rangers on the team. "Or at least, two out of three."

"Hey, no way am I being lowered to my doom!" Dani argued, stepping back. "I'm still recovering from knee surgery! Isn't that enough?"

"You know, I hate to agree with people, but she's got a point," Dillon smirked, turning his attention to Ziggy. "It would be really mean of us to use poor, innocent Daniela."

Ziggy glared at the red head through the helmet, and she just shrugged, hiding her smirk.

"I hate you right now," he frowned.

"C'mon lad," Flynn laughed, wrapping the vine around Ziggy's waist, making sure it was secure.

"No... no, c'mon guys... why me? Why am I always the dummy? Can't we, you know, use someone else? Someone who can't die? C'mon, Hayden can't weight much more than me!"

"Hey!" Hayden frowned, "I think..."

The pink Ranger shook her head, "I'm so confused."

Flynn lifted the L-Green Ranger, carrying him over to the hole and lowering him slowly. Ziggy was trying to break free the entire time.

"What if the boogieman's in here?" he asked while slowly dropping into the hole. "Or ghosts of letters pasts? Or... or... hey, the ground!"

"Well, that wasn't as fun as I thought," Flynn frowned, letting go of the drop. It didn't drop after hitting the ground. "Apparently it's a very dark, shallow hole."

Hayden moved to the edge and jumped inside to test it out, hitting the ground in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, please," she called, kicking the dirt, "My Great-Grandmother could survive this drop!"

The other rangers chuckled, hopping in one by one. Daniela was last to drop, so she could be caught and not have to land on her leg. It was almost completely healed, but no one wanted to risk her hurting herself again.

"Okay, anyone got a flashlight?" Mike asked, touching the sides of the destroyed underground facility. "I can't see a thing."

"The Soup did get pretty dark at night," Greg nodded. "But there was always something we could use for light."

He dropped to his knees and began feeling the ground for an old flashlight or torch. He picked up something, but he couldn't identify it.

"I think I have some matches in my jacket pocket," Daniela said, powering down. She reached into her jacket, pulling out the pack of matches Dillon had yet to take from her. She looked at the brooding bad boy, happy the darkness was masking her huge grin, "Dillon, I still can't get these things to work."

Dillon remained silent as he glared daggers at her. Daniela laughed, until someone stole the pack. The person didn't say a word, so the red head assumed it was Summer.

"You know, Sum, you're doing one hell of a good job shutting up," Daniela laughed, hearing the yellow Ranger try to light the match. "I would have thought you would break the silence at least once."

Summer lit the match and handed it to Greg so he could figure out what he was holding. It was an old torch that had yet to be use by the Soup, and that hadn't been destroyed. Greg smiled, lighting the torch, while Summer smacked Daniela on the back of the head.

"Ow, okay, I'm sorry," she said.

"Know where we are?" Flynn asked the former Soup prisoner. Greg looked around for a moment and nodded.

"If we follow this path, it should lead us to the room where all the old Venjix tech was buried."

"Your room?" Daniela asked. Greg nodded sadly.

"My old room."

"C'mon guys," Scott called as the team followed Greg. Daniela stayed beside him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. He looked down at her with a small smile.

"It's okay, Dani."

"I know it hurts," she whispered. "You were kidnapped and held here for years until you helped bring the world to an end. Don't tell me you're not hurting."

Greg was happy he was still morphed. He didn't want Dani to see the tears coming down his face as the memories flooded back. Alphabet Soup was a hard time for him, and was something he would never forget.

"I'm okay, Dan, let's just focus on the task at hand," he said. Daniela grabbed his arm and held it, comforting him as they stepped into another room.

"If you find anything, trash it," Greg ordered the team, looking around for anything that could allow Corinth to figure out he and Dr. K, mostly K, were behind the release of Venjix.

"This is odd," Summer spoke, for the first time in a few days. "Everything I look at seems to be... dusted."

"Dusted?" Dillon asked, coming to her side to see what she meant.

"Yeah... look, I see fingerprints... as if someone recently touched this and put it back."

"Okay," Dillon placed his hand on her back as she went silent and continued to search. Daniela turned her attention to Greg.

"I think she means someone's been here," she frowned. Greg balled his fists, grabbing the remains of a desk and flipping it.

"Dammit!" he yelled, turning away from the others.

"C'mon, Greg, it can't be that bad, right?" Ziggy asked. "Maybe... maybe Venjix got here first... and he already knows who created and unleashed him."

"If Venjix got this stuff he would have dozens more base codes that he could use to upgrade himself!" Greg growled. "If the military got it, Dr. K's as good as dead, and I'm in prison for life!"

"That's not happening," Scott frowned, shaking his head, "We won't let it."

"But we don't know who has the evidence, or even if they know how to use it," Mike pointed out.

"Yeah, and the Colonel would have to get the city to agree to the death sentence," Hayden said, "And there's no way anyone would prosecute Dr. K. She's crucial to saving the world!"

"No one knows about the Soup," Greg argued, "No one knows the torture we were put through as kids. All they'll hear about is that Dr. K and I unleashed Venjix and ended the world! People focus too much on what happened and not enough on what will happen!"

"Let's just get back to the dome and worry about it then," Flynn reasoned, taking the torch from Greg so he could lead the way out. The others followed, minus Greg.

Dani turned around, before leaving the room.

"C'mon, Greg, there's nothing we can do here."

"No good can come from going back there," Greg whispered, crouching down on the ground and holding his head in his hands. "Leaving Alphabet Soup has always caused me and everyone else misery."

"What...?" Dani asked, kneeling next to him. "What are you talking about?"

"When Dr. K, Gem, Gemma and I first wanted to leave the Soup, we let Venjix free and he destroyed the entire world. Billions of people lost their lives, and any survivors lost someone near and dear to them. If we didn't leave, non of this would have happened."

"Greg..."

"Now... if I leave this place again, something bad is going to happen. My best friend is going to get hurt... and something's going to happen to me."

"Nothing's going to happen to you, I promise," Dani smiled, but Greg wouldn't have it.

"Maybe it's best if I stay here..."

"Best for who?" Dani asked, "Gregory, whether you're here or not, Dr. K's still going to be in trouble. And if Venjix did get the technology, we're all in trouble; Dr. K, the other Rangers, Aunt K, my mom, Sammy, the baby, your parents... and me."

Daniela lifted Greg's chin so he was looking right at her. He diverted his eyes away, "I know this is scary, but you can do it."

"No... I can't..."

"I don't think you understand how scared I was to get knee surgery," Dani smiled, lifting the bandage to expose the scar. Even though Hayden had taken over her body, the main priority was to heal the broken bones so Daniela could live. The knee didn't have enough time to heal properly once the two girls switched back, and it was still very scarred and still recovering from the surgery. Daniela was allowed to walk and run, but had to take it easy in battles. The bandage she wore was to prevent her scar from getting infected.

"That was scary, Dan, but you knew, deep down, you weren't ever going to die," Greg frowned. "My options are either die at the hands of a super Venjix, or rot in a jail cell, if I'm not sentenced to death as well."

"I'll bail you out," Dani smiled.

"It's not that easy. They aren't just going to let the mass murderer out of jail for a couple of bucks."

"I'll bust you out then," Dani laughed.

"How?" Greg frowned.

"Same way I busted my knee. A little oil should allow you to slip right between the bars."

Dani looked to Greg with a smile as he let out a small laugh.

"Dan..."

"Look, just... come back with us. We'll tell Dr. K what happened. Maybe she and the others already found a way around this," Daniela said, getting back to her feet. She offered her hand to help Greg up. He looked at it for a moment, before taking it and letting Dani pull him to his feet. "I promise, nothing's going to happen to you."

"I know," Greg smiled, leaning down and kissing her.

-----RPM-----

The Rangers pulled into the garage, hopping out of their cars only to hear a commotion coming from the lab. They suddenly heard Samantha scream, and Hayden darted off to the doors. When they opened, the Rangers saw a soldier, holding Engel in one arm, and pointing a gun to the others with his free hand.

"I don't think we have to worry about a Venjix upgrade," Ziggy frowned, alerting Colonel Truman and the soldiers that the Rangers had returned. In that moment, half the guns were pointed at them.

"The hell is going on?" Hayden screamed, putting herself in front of the Rangers.

"Dr. K released the Venjix Virus!" Colonel Truman yelled, eyeing Gregory, "And he helped. They are both under arrest for treason."

"So they released the virus," Ziggy shrugged, "But technically, it's not treason because there was no battle against humanity when she..."

Ziggy was interrupted when a couple of guards grabbed him. Dillon was immediately at his side, pushing the guards away. They exchanged looks for a moment, before backing down.

"Colonel, you can't do this," Kaylee tried. "We need Dr. K and Greg. In case you haven't noticed, they are the brains behind all this!"

"Hicks, grab the Doc. Erics, the Gold Ranger!"

Erics grabbed Greg as the young genius struggled in his grip. Hicks reached for Dr. K, but his hand passed right through her.

"What?" he frowned.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Colonel, but I had a feeling you might be dropping by. It's hard to trust the government after what I've seen," Dr. K grinned.

Dr. K's started glitching as the Colonel's blood boiled. The Rangers smiled, happy the doc was safe.

"It's a hologram!" Col. Truman yelled to his soldiers, "Comb the city and find her!"

The soldiers spread out, following their orders. The one holding Engel gave the child back to her mother. Samantha growled at the soldier and brought her knee up, hitting him right in the gut.

"I could have gone lower," she threatened, pushing him away.

Erics was still holding Greg, so he remained in position.

"What about the Ranger, sir?" he asked the Colonel.

"Bring him in. We'll deal with him later."

"Colonel, you can't..."

"I'll need your permission for the death penalty for Dr. K," the Colonel interrupted Kaylee. "However, throwing people in jail is one of my duties."

"I can have you fired," Kaylee breathed menacingly.

"For what?" the colonel asked, "Protecting the city? Doing my job?"

Ronny had to grab a hold of Kaylee as the older blond tried to attack the Colonel. He smirked, looking over at Scott, who was wearing a disapproving expression.

"Dad, arresting Greg and Dr. K won't bring anyone back!" Scott frowned, "I thought you realised this after the whole power thing! Can't you trust us."

"Powers is one thing," the Colonel growled, "Destroying the world and creating the Venjix is another."

Colonel walked out, with Erics and Greg in tow. Daniela screamed, grabbing a tool from the desk and throwing it at the colonel, hitting the doors as they closed.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered. Scott turned to her and her expression changed, "No offense."

"I thought he would never leave," the hologram of K said. The Rangers jumped, shocked she had repaired herself like that. Was she not broken a couple of seconds ago.

"I'm sorry, what are you?" Ziggy asked.

"I am a hologram, but I'm not a recording. That is so last century," Dr. K rolled her eyes, running to her computer.

"When the hell did you leave us?" Kaylee asked. "I've been with you since this morning."

"That's of no matter," Dr. K said, "I'm broadcasting from a remote location, but it's only a matter of time before I'm discovered. We need to get the colonel to change his mind and let Greg and I free," Dr. K spun around in her chair and disappeared.

"How do we do that?" Daniela frowned, turning to the others, "He's the most stubborn man on the face of the planet! He's even more stubborn than mom and I! Combined!"

"We could show him we need Greg and..."

"... K on the team to help save the city!" the twins frowned.

"Maybe there's something hiding in the Soup area that could help us," Hayden suggested.

"Like what?" Dillon frowned.

"Files, records... or lack thereof," Hayden shrugged. "The Soup kidnapped children to use for their own gain. If we can find proof about that, maybe we can show the Colonel and the rest of the city that unleashing Venjix was a defensive tactic to escape and illegal prison."

"Sounds good, but you guys have to be sneaky about it," Ronny nodded. "A small group would work best."

"Ninja!" Mike grinned.

"I was thinking that," Ronny smiled, "Mike, Summer, Hayden and Dani. The Ranger kids."

"Ranger kids?" Kaylee asked, "Why the Ranger kids?"

"They have the most experience in this field."

"Hide and go seek?"

"Secret missions," Ronny smiled.

"Andy and Uncle Will would be perfect for this," Dani laughed.

Kaylee looked at Ronny, shaking her head, "We can't send four teenagers out into the wastes to search an old child labour work camp. Especially when it holds answers for us, the Colonel and Venjix."

"They've been in training their entire life," Ronny argued, patting Mike on the shoulder as she addressed Kaylee, "If anyone can do it, it's them."

"C'mon mom, you know we'll be okay! I mean, I can't get hurt, Summer's already kinda broken, Dani's a daredevil and no one cares about Mike!" Hayden laughed. Mike had a mock hurt expression as he tickled Hayden's sides.

Kaylee took a deep breath, "Alright, go. But find the evidence and get out! The other Rangers will stay here and keep the colonel from finding Dr. K."

"What about the rest of us?" Gem asked.

"We're going to try and find Dr. K," Kaylee said, taking Engel, "And we're dropping Engel off at Kelly's house for safety."

"I am so in charge!" Hayden called, leading her team to the door.

"Why?" Mike whined. Hayden turned her back to him, showing him the pink two (matching Flynn's blue one) on her jacket.

"Because I'm co-second-in-command, and Summer can't call out orders."

-----RPM-----

The four Ranger kids jumped back into the giant hole that used to be the Soup and searched the old halls for anything they could use to protect Greg and Dr. K.

"It's been a while since it's been just us," Mike pondered, blowing some dust off a file before searching through it. "I kinda miss the good old days."

Daniela pointed her flashlight to the wall, reading the tag on one of the doors.

"Laboratory," she read aloud. She bit her lower lip as she turned to the others. "I found a lab. Maybe this is where they did some testing. They would have files in here, right?"

Summer, Hayden and Mike shrugged, coming to her side. The door was jammed, forcing Mike to run into it to get it open. The door fell off the hinges and crashed on the ground, brining up a lot of dust.

"Note to self, inhaling three year old dust, not fun," Dani coughed.

-----RPM-----

"Dad, you can't do this!" Scott argued, trying to get past the guards to reach his father and reason with him. "Dr. K and Greg are good people! We would know! They fight everyday to save lives."

"After taking billions!" Colonel Truman snapped. Erics was still following him, keeping a tight grip on Greg. "I don't care how much these two are helping. They are the reason we lost everything!"

"But they could be the reason we get everything back."

"There's no way everything could come back!" Colonel Truman yelled. "Scott, we've all been hurt by this. We've suffered so long because of the loss. And no one's been able to get justice and prosecute the people responsible. Now we have that chance."

"I almost lost my entire life!" Dillon growled, "I was mad at Dr. K when I found out, but I realised it's not good to hold onto the past!"

"I lost my mother," Flynn nodded. "But it's done. There's nothing I can do to change it now. Dr. K and Greg... and the twins... they didn't want this to happen. They were just kids."

Colonel Truman was enraged. The Rangers knew all along about Dr. K and Greg and didn't speak up. He was about to call for their arrest, when he saw his son. He took a breath.

"You all have an hour to run and hide before I send soldiers out for you for treason," the Colonel said.

"Oh, like you did with Dr. K?" Ziggy asked, hiding behind Dillon for safety. He didn't want the guards on him like last time.

"One hour, then there will be no mercy."

"Dad!" Scott shouted, but the Colonel shook it off.

"I love you, son, but in cases like this, the city must come first."

-----RPM-----

"_Um, Kaylee, I think we screwed up our mission,"_ Ziggy announced through the communicators to Kaylee, Ronny, the twins and Samantha.

"How?" Kaylee asked.

"_We're now all under arrest for treason."_

"Great," Samantha rolled her eyes. "Now how the hell do we find Dr. K and protect her, if we're all in the same boat?"

Kaylee started to panic. If all the Rangers were in trouble and wanted by the military, so was the entire ranger family. Anyone with a clue as to where the Rangers could hide would be questioned. Dustin, Doc, Tori, Blake, Kelly, RJ and anyone else in Corinth with ties to the Rangers wouldn't be able to escape the military's wrath.

"Why the hell is he so angry?" Ronny grumbled.

"He lost his son to Venjix," Kaylee explained.

"That still doesn't..."

"... explain his anger towards us," the twins frowned.

"Or why he's refusing to see how much good we've all done to this city," Samantha added.

Kaylee looked around, before pulling her team into an alley to hide.

"Marcus died protecting this city. Venjix and his army killed him in battle. I don't think the Colonel's ever going to get over it."

"But he seemed to be..."

"... okay last time we all hung out," Gem and Gemma pointed out.

"I know," Kaylee nodded, "but now he knows who truly killed his son. He knows who made the virus that came to life and took his eldest son away from him for good. He's got a chance to avenge Marcus and make Dr. K and Greg, and maybe even you two twins, pay for what happened to his family."

"That doesn't justify his actions," Samantha huffed.

"No, it does," Kaylee agreed, "But it does explain them."

"I know if I lost Dani I would turn into a freaking momzilla while trying to find the person responsible for her death," Ronny said.

The three teens were still a little confused about the Colonel's reaction to the news, so Kaylee explained.

"You three love Engel, right?" she asked. Gem and Gemma nodded happily while Samantha gave her mother a "duh" look. "What would you have done if that soldier ended up killing her today."

"Ripped his head off and would have murdered everyone in the room with my bare hands," Samantha said. Kaylee raised her eyebrows with a knowing smirk.

"Oh," Samantha nodded, "I see what you mean."

"It's wrong to do so, but you would do it anyways. Because you love her, just like the colonel loved Marcus."

"But he's turning on Scott! His only son!"

"And hopefully that'll be enough reason for the Colonel to stop and realise what he's doing," Kaylee sighed. "Now, we have to find the boys and K and find a good place to hide until the kids get back."

-----RPM-----

"Day 26: We get our final doctor, Dr. Z. He's a young individual with a lot of talent and will be a great addition to the team," Hayden read aloud so the others could hear. She had found the documents recording when the 26 doctors were recruited, but there wasn't enough information to prove they had all been kidnapped.

"Keep those records," Summer said softly, trying not to overuse her voice. "But keep searching. We need more."

Mike pulled open a drawer, finding nothing but an old pencil. He looked at it, reading what was printed on the side.

_Happy Birthday Dr. K!_

He smiled, tucking the pencil in his pocket before continuing his search through old records.

Daniela was ripping out drawers and tearing through files, trying to find something that would prove her boyfriend wasn't a traitor. She pulled a cabinet drawer open and searched.

"H... Hartford... Hartford, A... B..." she said, quickly fingering through the files, until she reached G. "Aha, Hartford, Gregory!"

She turned to her cousins, "I got Greg's file!"

"Awesome, what does it say?" Hayden asked.

Dani blew off the dust and opened it. A picture slipped out of the files, and Dani reached down to get it. She looked at it and smiled.

It was Gregory, when he was young, right before leaving for the Soup. He was playing in the park. Obviously the picture had been taken by members of the soup, because there were little leaves and branches on the side, proving the cameraman was hiding in a bush or tree.

She put the picture in her pocket and looked at the files, "It's just his date of birth, height and weight, IQ, parents... boring stuff."

"Yeah, but why would they have a file of him here at the Soup?" Mike asked.

"Because as far as anyone knows, this is a school!" Summer frowned. Mike laughed sheepishly while Dani read the next page.

"Wait... it says something here. It's covered in mud though, I can't read it."

Summer took the file and flipped to the right page, before using her nails to scrap the mud off, making the word a little more legible.

"Abduction date," she smiled. "School's don't abduct. It would be start date, or transfer date."

"What about Dr. K?" Hayden asked.

"Nothing about her yet, but it would help if we knew her real name," Mike sighed.

"I found a file earlier with all the Doctor's names. Maybe that has something," Summer said, reaching over to a discarded folder. "Let's see, "Dr. A: Margaret Athol... Dr. B: Steven Berkeley..."

"Just skip to K already," Dani pushed. Summer rolled her eyes, moving to the middle of the paper.

"Dr. K..." Summer paused, looking at her cousins for a moment. "Dr. K's name is..."

_Author's Note: I'm so evil._


	7. My Name

Kaylee, Ronny, Samantha, Gem and Gemma were searching the city for the boys when they turned the corner and spotted a mob of people screaming.

"The traitors! They're getting away!" the citizens yelled, chasing the boys towards the team of allies. Kaylee grabbed Scott's arm, pulling him into a side street and the others quickly followed their leader. Everyone pressed themselves against the wall as the mob ran right by them. When the last person passed, Kaylee let out her breath and checked around the corner, just in case.

"We're clear," she whispered turning back to the team.

"We really need to find Dr. K and make sure she's okay," Ziggy frowned. "We can't leave her alone too long."

"There she is!" someone screamed from down the street. Kaylee and Ziggy ran to the other side of their side street to look out without being seem. On the pedestrian crossing that went over the street, Dr. K stood with a shocked look on her face. As people started running to the crossing, Dr. K smirked and disappeared, before she appeared right under the crossing. The citizens stood in utter shock as the Hologram of K started running off.

"Well, at least we know she hasn't been discovered," Kaylee breathed, looking down at Ziggy. He nodded, letting out a breath he was holding. He was obviously worried about the doctor, and Kaylee could see it in his face. She placed her hand on his back as she turned to the others, leaning against the wall.

"Everyone knows we're wanted in prison," she said, "I don't know how, but it seems they want all of us, and are willing to catch us."

"I bet you they would leave us alone if the military didn't offer a reward for our capture," Flynn muttered.

"They did that?" Kaylee breathed. "Bastards..."

"Wait; can't Kaylee do something to stop this?" Ronny asked.

"Yeah, isn't she..."

"... head of the military?" the twins frowned.

"I'm wanted for treason!" Kaylee shook her head sadly. "This is something my high ranking can't get me out of."

"Let's just hope the girls and Mike find something," Scott said.

-----RPM-----

"Rebecca Kinsley," Summer said, revealing Dr. K's name to her cousins.

Dani didn't bother linger on the name like Mike and Hayden. Instead she searched through the cabinet for Dr. K's real name.

"Kinsley, Rebecca," she smiled, pulling out the file. She read over it quickly and smiled, "It's all in here. Abduction date and the reason they wanted her."

Hayden snatched the folder from her cousin and read it as well.

"It says here they wanted her for her quick mind and her ability to remember everything she's been told."

"Okay, Dr. K is totally awesome," Mike said. The girls looked at him with a "duh" look as Dani tucked both Dr. K's file and Greg's in her jacket.

"I think we still need more proof that they unleashed Venjix for the sole purpose of escaping this prison," she frowned. "I don't want the military to turn this down and say it was forged... I want Greg to be free!"

"I know, Dani, we'll find something, I promise," Hayden assured the younger girl. Daniela nodded, hugging herself and the files under her jacket as the others searched.

Mike was examining all the beakers, not leaving anything unchecked, as he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He looked over at Summer, Hayden and Dani with worried looks.

Something bad was going to happen. He could feel it. Mike rested his hands on the table to try and rid himself of this feeling, and he could feel it vibrating.

"What?" he frowned. He looked at the beakers. They didn't seem to be moving. He summoned his water powers and filled one of the beakers with water. Just as he suspected, the water was moving slightly.

"If we're underground, and there's something causing this table to... Girls, we have to get out!" he yelled, grabbing Hayden and Dani, pulling them to the exit. Summer turned to him.

"What? Why?" she croaked. Mike spun around and looked at her.

"I don't know if I have time to explain, just follow!" he yelled. Summer rolled her eyes and followed the boy to the surface. When she reached him, he was lifting Dani out of the pit, and Hayden was pulling her up.

"Mike, what's going on?" she asked him.

"I don't know, just get over here!" he called, pulling her forward and lifting her so Dani and Hayden could help her up. As soon as she was safe on the ground, Mike hopped up and started climbing out. With a little help from the girls, he made it to the surface. He got to his feet quickly and pulled all three of them behind him, taking them as far away as he could.

Just as they reached the spot where the trees started growing and where they clearing (where the pit was located) ended, a giant mechanical worm burst out of the ground, soaring into the air as tracks were created in front of it. As the four Ranger kids got a better look at it, they saw it was a giant, Ranger train.

"Holy shit..." Daniela muttered with eyes wide in excitement. "I totally call driving it!"

Suddenly, the trained turned sharply and they four noticed it was heading right for them. Mike grabbed the girls, throwing them to the side and throwing himself over them to protect them. The train past swiftly, just missing the four teens.

"Okay, it's a rogue train," Daniela breathed as Mike rolled onto the ground, taking deep breaths, "I can work with that."

Hayden pulled out her morpher, "Mom, are you there?"

-----RPM-----

Kaylee and the others were hiding deep in an old alleyway, behind a dumpster, when Kaylee's communicator went off.

"_Mom, are you there?"_ Hayden asked.

"I'm here, kiddo. Find anything?"

"_A few files, and a giant fucking train that tried to kill us! Any idea what it could be?"_

Gem and Gemma smiled.

"The Paleozord!" they said in unison.

"Dr. K was working on it before we tried leaving the Soup!" Gem explained.

"She had to trash it though because it was uncontrollable," Gemma finished.

"And very powerful!" Gem added.

"_Great..." _Hayden mumbled.

"_I'm sure I can tame this train!"_ Daniela giggled through the communicator.

"It's almost impossible," Gemma frowned, "Its code is based off extinct life forms."

Kaylee groaned loudly, hitting her head on the dumpster in frustration. Not only did they have to worry about finding Dr. K and avoiding prison, but they also had to worry about the insane train in the wastes."

Suddenly, it hit her. The word paleozord was close to the word palaeontology, which was the study of prehistoric life. It was what Dr. O would teach her in science class. Dinosaurs.

"Not so extinct now," Kaylee smirked, "Hayden, do you, by any chance, have my green dino gem with you?"

"_Why the hell would she... ooh," _Summer spoke and Kaylee could tell by her niece's tone that Hayden had pulled it out.

"_I always keep it in my jacket for luck,"_ Hayden said.

"Good, try to see if you can tame the train with the gem," Kaylee smiled. Suddenly, the mob of people passed by the alley and one noticed them. Kaylee and the others began climbing the fence behind them to get away. "For now, we got to go. This city is filled with savages! Oh, hey, another Dr. K! Kaylee out!"

-----RPM-----

"Tame it?" Hayden growled. "How the hell do I tame a freaking train?"

"With a whip?" Mike suggested, snapping his wrist as if he were holding the whip. Hayden frowned, unimpressed. "I don't know, my parent's didn't come from the dino team."

"Neither did mine," Daniela sulked, "But if Hayden tames it, does that mean I can't drive it?"

"I don't know what it means," Hayden frowned, "But I think it would be best if we found it first."

"It went that way," Mike pointed in the direction in which the train speed off. The girls rolled their eyes.

"I didn't know my cousin was a Sherlock Holmes," Summer snapped sarcastically, taking the lead.

"What about Greg and the files?" Daniela asked, pulling out the two files from her jacket, "We have to go back."

"We can't leave this train out here," Mike reasoned, "What if it makes its way into the city? Then we're all doomed."

Daniela looked back in the direction of the dome and sighed, "Fine... let's go."

Mike wrapped his arm around her, walking alongside the young red head, "We'll save Greg soon, I promise."

"Come one, crazy train, come out, come out wherever you are!" Hayden called while Summer rolled her eyes at the young brunette. Mike laughed and smiled at Dani.

"See, Hayden'll draw it out and we'll be riding that hunk of junk back home in no time."

-----RPM-----

"Come on, Dr. K, where the hell could you be hiding?" Kaylee muttered, leading the Rangers through a deserted region of the city. Ziggy was right behind her, looking down every street and every alley for the missing doctor.

"Dr. K? Are you around here?" he called, but received no answer. His head dropped back in frustration as he looked at the control tower, where the colonel would spend most of his day.

"Where would Dr. K run and hide?" Scott asked.

"In the last place we would think of finding her?" Dillon suggested. Ziggy frowned, turning to the black Ranger.

"Say that again."

"In the last place we..."

Dillon didn't finish. Ziggy was already halfway down the street, with Kaylee in tow.

"I know where she is!" he called, dragging Kaylee behind him. The boys, Ronny, Samantha and Gemma exchanged looks and shrugged, running after him.

The Rangers arrived at the tower at the same time as the Colonel. He pulled his gun out, pointing it at Dr. K. She was sitting by the main computer when he yelled to her.

"Step away from the computer!" he said. Dr. K turned to him, but didn't budge. Colonel Truman grew angry, "I said, step away from the computer!" he yelled again, but louder. Dr. K did as she was told, fearing the gun in the Colonel's hands.

Kaylee and Ziggy ran over to the doctor, putting themselves in front of her protectively. The Colonel glared at them, then the rest of the team.

"How the hell did all of you get in here?" he asked.

"Well, when everyone's out in the city, it's not that hard," Dillon smirked.

Kaylee stepped forward, pushing Dr. K behind her, "Colonel, put the gun down. You know this isn't right."

"She created Venjix!" the colonel yelled, waving the gun around dangerously. Ziggy made sure that if the Colonel shot, there was no way it could hit the defenceless doctor. Kaylee was protecting her from the front and her left side, while he stood on her right.

The Colonel continued his rant, "She unleashed him into this world! Her and those other genius brats brought forth the end of the world! They killed billions and ruined all our lives!"

"Colonel, calm down..." Kaylee tried to reason. The Colonel didn't take it.

"And you all knew about it!" he yelled, "You knew Dr. K and that Gregory kid were criminals, but you didn't say a word! You're working with her..."

"We didn't tell you because we didn't think it mattered that Dr. K created Venjix!" Scott frowned. The colonel growled, turning to his youngest son.

"It doesn't matter?" he asked, standing over the young boy. "You don't think it matters who killed your brother?"

"Dad, it wasn't on purpose!" Scott argued.

"Colonel, Dr. K and Greg created the Venjix, but they didn't want this," Kaylee said, "They were prisoners! Taken as children and forced to work on developing technology for the government! Hayden and the others are out there finding proof for you."

"We just wanted to go outside," Dr. K muttered with a slight hint of fear in her voice. "We wanted to be kids! We wanted to play like everyone else... I wanted to know who I really was."

"Colonel... please," Kaylee breathed, "I've been head of city and responsible for protecting it. If I thought Dr. K was a menace, she would have been in jail long ago!"

"You're working with her!" the colonel screamed.

"And if I was a traitor, this city would have been destroyed long ago! Think about it, Colonel! I'm a fucking former Ranger! I've served on so many teams and I still have access to all the weapons from those days. I could take this entire city out with both hands tied behind my back. Why would I wait if I was working with Venjix?"

The colonel turned to the picture of him and Marcus, sitting on his desk.

"Did he know?" he asked, keeping the gun pointed at Kaylee and Dr. K. "Did Marcus know about Dr. K?"

Kaylee shook her head, "He didn't," she whispered. "He had no idea..."

"Dad, the Rangers... we only found out a few months ago," Scott assured his father, "And we were all angry as hell when we did. But when Dr. K told us why she unleashed Venjix, and her intentions with it, we realised... she's a good person. She just... she did a bad thing."

"She's trying to redeem herself, Colonel," Ziggy said. "Her and Greg... He assisted her with some of the harder codes. When they wanted to release the Virus, it was only meant for Alphabet Soup. But she didn't have the time to upload the firewall to keep it from spreading, and that's exactly what it did."

"How can I believe you?" the colonel asked, "How can I trust you now?"

"We all do things we regret," Dr. K said, stepping forward. Kaylee and Ziggy eyed Col. Truman's gun carefully. "But if we don't learn from them, and move towards a brighter future, we pay twice."

Tears were brimming Dr. K's eyes as she spoke, "Colonel, if I could access the space/time continuum long enough to undo what I did, I would. But it's not possible. So instead, I'm trying to fix what I've done by stopping my creation. I'm ready to do anything to make sure Venjix is destroyed and we can all try and go back to living a normal life, without fear of what's on the other side of the dome."

Kaylee smiled, "Colonel, I'm one of the fortunate ones. In the evacuations, all my friends and family made it safely to Corinth or NewTech. I didn't lose anyone. Most people did. But because me entire family is living in fear of what could happen, I want to make sure they are protected. There is nothing I value more than my family. I only want to protect them from Venjix. That's why I'm fighting today. That's why destroying Venjix means so much to me. If anyone did side with Venjix, I would dispose of them long before you or the rest of the city found them out."

"Kaylee..."

"Dr. K is the only person I trust to help me. She's the only person who can create the technology and the weapons that will destroy Venjix! I found her just after she left the Soup, and she helped me bring Project Ranger to life. We've been working together for three years now, and I love her to death. But, Mason Truman, you know that if I found out she was a traitor, nothing would stop me from exiling her."

"Then why didn't you?" the colonel asked. "When you found out, why didn't you kick her out of the city?"

"Because... I didn't believe she could endanger the dome. We were all mad at her, sure, but deep down, we all knew she wasn't to blame."

"Dad, let Greg go and let us all off the hook," Scott begged, touching his father's arm. He reached for the gun, and slowly lowered it. "Don't let Marcus' death keep you from thinking straight."

"I'm sorry," the Colonel nodded, dropping the gun. "I'm sorry, Dr. K."

Dr. K smiled and nodded.

"What about Greg?" Ronny asked, "You have to let him go."

The Colonel turned to Ronny. He smiled at her and grabbed a pen and paper. He quickly wrote something down, folded the paper, and handed it to Ronny.

"This is an official release, signed by me, telling the guards the release Gregory Hartford immediately," he said. Ronny took the note and ran off to the prison to rescue her nephew from jail.

The Colonel turned to Scott and the Rangers, "I'll alert the city and tell them that the accusations against you were false. They don't need to know what happened."

Kaylee smirked, poking the Colonel, "Now that I'm not accused of treason, I'm your boss again, which means after you make the announcement, I can fire your ass for pointing a gun at me."

The colour in the Colonel's face disappeared as he stood, afraid Kaylee might do as she said, but the blonde laughed.

"I'm just kidding," she said, "I don't have a replacement yet... but Hicks seems like he's doing a great job... note to self, Kaylee, promote him to Colonel and fire the current one."

Colonel Truman laughed nervously, playing along with Kaylee insanity, before the communicators and the morphers all beeped.

"_Um, Aunt Kaylee, how the hell is Hayden supposed to tame the train?"_ Summer's scratchy voice spoke. _"It ripped off her hand... again... and again... and again..."_

"Summer, stop, I get it," Kaylee sighed, "I can't help you..."

"A train?" Dr. K asked, "What kind of train?"

"_It's the Paleozord,_" Mike answered, _"And it's seriously trying to kill us! The dino gem's not working."_

Dr. K thought of a solution. If the Paleozord was released, someone needed to get in under control before I really went insane. She didn't know how, but if the dino gem was her only lead, she was going to try and work with it.

"Try combining the old dino gem with your morpher, Hayden," the doctor announced. "There should be enough power to control the locomotive."

"_Um, not to be rude, Dr. K, but were the hell have you been for the past few hours?"_ Dani asked. "_What's happening in there?"_

"Greg and I have been pardoned, Dani, you don't have to worry about us anymore. Just focus on the train!"

"_Sweet, can I drive it?"_

"We'll talk about it," K sighed. Dani grumbled, and Dr. K could here communication was about to be cut off, but Dani spoke again.

"_Um, Dr. K, we found something important while searching the Soup,"_ she said._ "You'll be interested..."_

"I appreciate the gesture, Daniela, but I want nothing more to do with that place..."

"_We learned your name._"

The room fell silent as Daniela's words sunk in. Kaylee, the boom-twins and the Rangers all knew that Dr. K desperately wanted to remember her name. They would sometimes catch her going through old files to see if there was anything that would spark her memory, but she would find nothing and get herself all worked up. It sounded silly, but Dr. k thought that if she knew her name, she could find her old files with ease and locate where she came from, who she really was, and who her parents were.

But right now, that didn't matter. The Paleozord was a danger to everyone as long as it wasn't controlled. Dr. K pushed back her tears.

"Focus on the Paleozord, Daniela," she said. "Just... don't forget my name. I'll work from here and see if I can help you four."

-----RPM-----

Once Hayden had been told to combine her mothers' gem with her morpher, she got to work.

First she had to figure out how the rock was going to fit.

"Damn slot," she grumbled, "Why the hell weren't you made the fit a rock?"

Summer chuckled slightly at her cousin, while trying to come up with a solution.

"Wait a minute," she said, "Hayden, the gems bonded with our parent's DNA, right?"

"Duh," Hayden frowned, trying to force the rock in.

"And when parents make babies, the children receive the DNA... so the gems would... in a way, be bonded to us as well."

"Ew, it's bad enough getting _the talk_ from my parents, now you're doing it too?" Hayden whined.

"No, dweeb, I'm saying that we only have a little bit of the link... individually."

"Ohh, team up?" Hayden asked. Summer grinned, popping her engine cell put of her morpher and tossing it to Hayden. She figured the Gem and the Cell would be able to work together, seeing as they were both created to bond with DNA. The only thing Summer worried about, was the lack of a genetic link between her and Hayden. But seeing as Mike wasn't the son of a dino ranger, this was the only option.

Hayden caught the cell and instantly it began to glow, along with her own cell and the dino gem. Hayden smiled, opening her hands to show the three items work together.

They were all pulled together as the glow became intense. Suddenly, there was a loud pop and the glow died. Hayden looked down and spotted one engine cell.

It was both yellow and pink, with a long green stripe down the center.

"So, Hayden and Summer get to share a power up, Hayden gets to command this giant train, and I get nothing!" Dani whined. "Not fair!"

"Awesome!" both girls smiled. Hayden looked up at Summer, who nodded.

"You mother's gem, you try it out first," she said. Hayden was grinning as she put the new engine cell in her morpher.

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!" she called out, morphing into her Pink Ranger suit, with a few added features. It had the dino spikes along the side, painted in yellow, and on her belt now hung a whip.

Kaylee's old dino whip.

"Booyah!" Mike cheered. His idea for taming the train was right.

Hayden grabbed the whip in her hand and looked down, in shock that she was holding what was once her mother's weapon.

The train could be heard rumbling in the distance catching everyone's ear as they braced themselves for it to pass. Hayden readied the whip and waited patiently. When the train burst out from the forest, Hayden snapped the whip.

At the sound of the weapon, the train slowed to a stop and backed up on its tracks until the front was beside Hayden. The new powered up Ranger stepped in front of the train and smiled.

"Tamed," she said. "All aboard, my friends, we're going home!"

"This is so unfair," Dani grumbled, climbing on the train and joining her cousin on top. Hayden laughed, patting Daniela on the head. As soon as everyone was on, she snapped her whip and the train took off.

-----RPM-----

"That is so cool!" the boys smiled, admiring Hayden's suit as the team reunited after their long day.

"Hey, we share this cool suit, right Hayden?" Summer laughed. Hayden nodded, powering down. The new engine cell was broken up, allowing Hayden to replace her regular one in her morpher, put the gem back in her pocket, and return Summer's cell.

"So... wait, if you needed the engine cells..." Ziggy started.

"If I morph into Super Dino Ranger, Summer can't even morph into lame Ranger, and vice versa," Hayden sighed.

"Well, the good and the bad, right?" Scott said, wrapping his arms around the two girls. "The important thing is, we're all here."

"Thank God," Daniela nodded, kissing Greg.

Kaylee laughed, but from the corner of her eye, she could see Dr. K was eager for something. Thinking back, she remembered that the Doctor knew the Rangers kids figured out what her real name was. She took K's hand in hers and smiled.

"Actually, there's something more important," she said, "A certain doctor has been through much more than any of us can imagine, and doesn't have the luxury of knowing her real name. I think she deserves it."

Dr. K smiled up at Kaylee, and turned to Daniela. The red head pulled out the two folders, handing one to Greg and presenting the other to Dr. K.

"We found these, hoping they would prove you guys weren't traitors. It's got all your background information in it."

Greg held the folder. He was officially a doctor at the soup, so he had kept his name, just like Gem and Gemma. They were test subjects and he was an assistant. All 26 doctors were given knew names to fit with the letters of the alphabet, and over time, forgot what their birth names were. He didn't need his file like Dr. K did, but it was nice to know he was now in control of his own information.

Kaylee held a sobbing Dr. K in her arms. She knew the doctor was crying tears of joy, but she still didn't want to see the doctor crying.

Dr. K's smile, however, couldn't be any bigger as she read the name printed on the top of the folder.

"Rebecca," she whispered, "My name... my name is Rebecca."


	8. Day One

Christian was being pulled into his room by his father as he screamed and struggled, yelling out something incomprehensible. His face was red from all the shouting as he tried to escape.

"Christian, I told you, no," Dustin frowned, picking up the boy and putting him on his little bed, "I'm sorry buddy, but you can't have another cookie!"

"I want another one!" Christian screamed, "Always two!"

"I said no, stop it," Dustin barked. He went to turn away when he say Kaylee standing by the door, drying her hair with her towel after just getting out of the shower. She could hear her son screaming from her bedroom and wanted to know what was up.

"What's going on?" she asked, "He's asking about cookies?"

"He wants a second one," Dustin explained. Kaylee tilted her head. Normally both parents allowed Christian to have two cookies, maximum. Dustin shouldn't have been punishing him for wanting what he could have.

"Then give him a second cookie," she shrugged. Dustin shook his head.

"I can't," he frowned, "I've tried explaining this to him. Apparently there's threat of a food shortage."

"Threat of... what?" Kaylee asked. Dustin grabbed Christian as the now three year old tried to run off. He put him back on his bed, telling him to stay there until he was told otherwise. Christian nodded, rubbing his eyes while his parents closed the door.

"Food shortage," Dustin told the blonde, "There are rumours going around that say Corinth is going to run out of food within the year... it's weird."

"Weird my ass," Kaylee breathed, "Something's up."

"Yeah, the price for food," Dustin said, "The rumours started because everything's so freaking expensive. I went to by some supplies so I could make Kelly a birthday cake, and the total for batter, eggs and milk was over fifty bucks!"

"You didn't buy it, did you?" Kaylee frowned, looking up at Dustin.

"We needed eggs and milk," Dustin nodded, "But I skipped out on the batter. It was crazy!"

Kaylee took a deep breath, rubbing her temples, "This is just great..."

"I know, Kelly's birthday is in a three days and I still have no idea what the hell I can make for her that's yummy and cheap!"

Kaylee turned to her husband and glared, "That's your biggest concern? We're on the verge of food shortage and you're worried about what you're going to serve on the night of the twenty-fourth?"

"Hey, Kelly did a lot for me back in the day," Dustin argued playfully, "I owe her a great cake!"

Kaylee chuckled as she made her way to the kitchen. Summer, Samantha and Hayden were all sitting around the table, eating lunch reading flyers.

Grocery flyers.

"The hell!" Samantha growled, throwing the piece of paper back on the table, "Baby formula is twice as expensive now!"

"Girls, I want you to cut back on what you eat," Dustin said, going into the fridge and pulling out the milk. He poured himself only half a glass and drank it.

"Are you calling us fat, dad?" Hayden frowned. Dustin laughed, shaking his head.

"There's a possible crisis, and until your mother figures it out, I want to be careful," he explained.

"Does it have to do with a bag of chips coming close to ten bucks?" Summer asked, pointing to the snack in the flyer. Her uncle's jaw dropped as he saw this and he turned to his wife with a puppy look.

"Kaylee... please?" he asked.

"No, we don't need eight bags of chips and five cases of soda," she frowned, "Especially not at this price!"

"But... but... it's not going to last forever! We must preserve..."

"No," Kaylee frowned, putting on her jacket, "I'm going to the control tower to see if I can figure this out. Hopefully this rumour is dead by the end of the month."

"April's almost done..."

"Don't kill my dreams!" Kaylee called, closing the door behind her.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee swiped her card, opening the door allowing her onto the top floor of the command center. Just as expect, the Colonel was sitting at his desk looking over the latest reports. Kaylee placed the flyer she picked up on her way over on his desk and looked at the older man.

"Do you know about this?" she asked him.

"What do you think I'm looking at now?" Colonel Truman asked, turning to Kaylee. "I've been getting reports all morning from farmers asking for money because their crops aren't growing."

"We're not producing produce?" Kaylee frowned. "Have we been giving these farmers enough sun?"

"The same as the past few years," the colonel nodded.

"Rain?"

"No more, no less than before."

"So then what the hell is going on?" Kaylee asked, "Crops should be coming in just like last year. There's been no dramatic change to the environment, has there?"

"Aside from frequent breaches and the occasional destruction of our city in order to fight off Venjix attack-bots, nope," the Colonel shook his head. He stood up and pulled Kaylee behind his desk so they could speak privately. "I think the soil's finally breaking."

"Huh?" Kaylee furrowed her brows, completely confused.

"There's only so much the farmers can do on one piece of land before it runs dry," the Colonel explained. "Before the attacks, this dome used to be covered in buildings, houses and monuments. It was impossible to plant anything in the soil and expect it to grow. We thought we were going to have problems until we hit and old nursery while tearing down districts for residential areas. It was loaded with fresh soil and fertilizers. We had enough to create a farming district and live off the supplies, but I guess it's reached the max."

"The max?" Kaylee frowned.

"Limited farming zones meant we had to plant all sorts of fruits and vegetables in the same area. The plants this year must be missing the mineral necessary to grow."

"It's only April though."

"Yes, but we ended the winter season early and the farmers are still lacking results."

Kaylee's head dropped back in frustration. As soon as the news spread through the city, people were going to go insane. First they would shop, not matter the prices, and stock up on food. Once grocery stores were empty, that's when the real panic would begin to set in.

"Can't we import from NewTech?" Kaylee asked, "They can't be having the same problem."

The Colonel shook his head, "Unfortunately NewTech only supplies enough food for itself. If we were to take from them, everyone would starve."

Kaylee groaned, taking the Colonel's seat and dropping her head on the desk, slamming it a couple of times. The Colonel put his hand on her back before she looked up.

"Are we going to have to live off potatoes?" she asked. He laughed, shaking his head.

"I wish."

Kaylee stood back up, fixing her jacket as she made her way to the door. Before leaving, the Colonel called her name.

"What are you going to tell the people?" he asked her. Kaylee shrugged.

"The truth, I guess," she answered. "I can't hide the inevitable famine from them. Especially when they start asking why the price of food is through the roof."

"I bought an apple today," the Colonel said, "Five dollars... for one apple. It's ridiculous for something so necessary."

"Yeah... but it'll give us money to fund the research to figure this out," Kaylee said. "Get a team of scientists to start working on a solution right away. Hopefully we'll figure something out before the real panic sets in."

The Colonel saluted as Kaylee turned and walked off. She had to inform the team.

-----RPM-----

"One banana, six strawberries and a hint of orange," Flynn grinned, tossing his ingredients into the blender, hopping her could finally enjoy one of his delicious smoothies.

"Ready..."

"Set..."

"BOOM!" the twins cried, blowing up a bunch of animal crackers and watching as the poor zoo animals flew through the air.

"I see your skittles, and I raise you one candy bar," Scott smirked, pushing food into the middle of the table while Ziggy and Dani groaned, throwing down their cards.

Kaylee walked into the room and saw all the food going to waste (for the most part). She had to change the eating habit of these teens, before they ate themselves into the famine. She walked over to the outlet where the blender was plugged in, and pulled the power.

Flynn cried dramatically as his smoothie was stopped mid blend, and turned to his mentor, "Why, lass?"

Kaylee turned to the twins, "Gem, Gemma, stop wasting those crackers and put the box away. Scott, Ziggy and Dani, put the candies back and Flynn, I'm sorry but you're going to have to find a way to either make that smoothie last at least a week, or share it with the entire Ranger team."

Flynn groaned, pulling out extra glasses to share his creation (he was never going to get to enjoy the full experience). Scott, Ziggy and Dani called for a game over, and the twins closed the box of crackers.

"What's wrong, Kaylee?" Gemma asked, eating the body of a lion cracker she found.

"Where's Dillon, Greg, Dr. K, Mike Ronny and my girls?" Kaylee demanded. Gemma pointed to the lab. Kaylee rushed over, calling the rest of the team to the Garage.

"Ooh, is this another surprise birthday party for Kelly?" Ronny asked, sitting on the arm rest of the couch. "If so, I think we should throw a pie in her face, instead of shouting 'SURPRISE'!"

Kaylee rolled her eyes, "We're not throwing Kelly's a surprise party... she's too old for that... I don't want to rush her to the emergency room."

The Rangers, even Dr. K, snickered at Kaylee's joke, but when the older mentor's expression dropped, the laughing stopped.

"Mom, what's going on?" Samantha asked.

"I've been informed that the city will be suffering from a food shortage very soon," Kaylee started. She pulled the grocery flyer out of her pockets to show her family, "Prices are going up, because production is going down. Living in a domed city, we don't have the resources we used to, and we're unable to produce the proper amount of food to feed the people in the city."

Everyone fell silent, looking over at the person next to them in utter shock at the news.

"So... we're running out of food?" Ziggy asked, finding his voice after a moment. Kaylee could only nod. "Why...?"

"I don't know, kid," Kaylee sighed, "I've just learned about it as well. I talked to the Colonel, and he's been getting reports all morning."

"The farmer's updates were due last night," Scott informed the team, "My dad usually reads them the following morning, though."

Kaylee nodded, "Grocery stores already know, so they've jacked up prices. Once the rest of the city hears about this, they'll have no choice but to buy the food, no matter the cost."

"That sounds cheap," Dillon muttered.

"Look, guys, I know you're all hungry, growing teenagers, but you really have to be careful about what you eat. Dustin and I are going to go to the stores and stock up food now. We're going to purchase enough food for us for three months and a little extra in case I need to provide for some of the city."

"So... what exactly does this mean?" Mike asked. "Are we only eating one meal a day, now?"

"Because you guys are Rangers, and need the energy, I'm keeping you at three, small meals," Kaylee explained. "But until I get this figured out, I'm afraid that's it."

"What about NewTech?" Summer asked.

"I've been told NewTech is fine," Kaylee assured the young McKnight girl. "Unfortunately importing food isn't much of an option. They produce only enough for themselves, and can't do anymore."

"What if they cut back as well, to help us?" Flynn suggested, "It seems a bit unfair they don't have to worry about this. Sure we're in different cities, but we're working together!"

"I'm going to inform Kira, and the decision will be in her hands," Kaylee answered.

"You can't do that," Scott frowned, "If Kira finds out, she might want Summer to come home, and not only will we starve, but we'll be down a Ranger!"

"Kira's maternal instinct would tell her to take her daughter home to pull her out of danger," Dr. K agreed. "After all, I don't think she would allow Summer to remain in a city where she's likely to die."

"Thanks, Dr. K," Summer muttered, sinking in her seat. Ziggy leaned over, poking the yellow Ranger.

"It's Rebecca," he reminded her. "Rebecca Kinsley."

"She's on duty though," Summer argued, "so it's Dr. K."

After Dr. K learned what her real name was, she was left with a choice. All the Rangers agreed that if she chose to be called by her Soup name, Dr. K, they would continue to do so and would forget her real name existed. But if she wanted to use Rebecca instead, they would try to refrain from calling her Dr. K.

Of course, Dr. K didn't know what to choose. She was so used to being called Dr. K, that anything else would be weird to her. But at the same time, she wanted to be known by her real name.

She decided that she would be called Dr. K, or Dr. Kinsley while she was working in the lab, or helping the Rangers in battle. It would be her work name. Whenever she was off duty though (during the evening hours, for example), she wanted her friends to call her Rebecca so she could fall into the habit of answering to that name.

"Look, I'm going to have to inform Kira about our food crisis," Kaylee told the team. "I can't cross out that option and leave Corinth to starve because we want Summer!"

"Screw summer, I want winter again. My snow fort melted," Dani pouted.

"So if Kira does decide to take Summer home after hearing the news, I won't stop her," Kaylee said. The rangers all seemed to understand... for now.

_Just wait until the hunger gets them,_ Kaylee thought to herself as she turned to leave. She needed to get her speech ready for the entire city. This was news she did not want to deliver. Everyone was already living in a post-apocalyptic society protected only by a small dome and nine teenagers add a great famine, with possibility of death.

Earth was not looking good.

-----RPM-----

"... and I know this must be hard for all of you to hear, but I'm doing everything I can to come up with a solution to this problem at hand, and I assure you we will get through this," Kaylee spoke into the microphones as the city watched from the park, on TV, or listened over the radio. "My advice to you all, start conserving food. You can still eat every day, but careful when you do. Children need food for energy, but they don't need as much as adults. Serve them enough to live; the elderly as well. Cut down on how many meals you consume a day, and cut out all snacks. I know this sounds hard, but so far it's the only way we might make it out of this alive."

Kaylee took a deep breath, looking out at the people watching her with tears in their eyes. She could see them waiting for her. They were all just standing there; ready to hear her utter the words that would cause chaos in the city.

"Please, everyone, don't make this harder than you have to. Conserve energy, conserve food. If you do run out, the Rangers and I are storing extra food just for you. You can knock on our door at any time after one week, but please, be considerate. There's only so much to go around. Share with those who have none. If you feel full, offer your food to those who need it. I know, with a little effort, we'll all find a way."

Kaylee nodded, stepping down from the podium and turning to Dr. K, Gem and Gemma. She didn't say a word to the press as she joined the other three and walked into the military building.

"Now what do we do, Kaylee?" Gem asked, walking alongside the elder mentor. Kaylee turned to him.

"I need you and Gemma to start working on a machine that will help us," she said, "I know you guys work hard with Becca to help the Rangers in battle, but... we were doing fine before you, we'll manage now."

"How are we..."

"Supposed to do that?" the twins asked.

"Come up with something that will allow us to... create food," Kaylee suggested. "Any idea is good."

Both the twins saluted, and Kaylee turned to the doctor.

"You, my friend, are going to help the Rangers. Now that we're running low on food, they'll be running low on energy. If Venjix catches wind of this, he'll launch a full series of attacks to get us to break down, and the city will be his. Find a way to add power to the suits, so the Rangers don't use up their own energy and crave food."

"I'll do my best," Dr. K smiled sadly, "But I can't guarantee success. Creating energy is impossible."

Kaylee turned to Dr. K, giving her a warm smile.

"I'm living the impossible. There's nothing that can't be done. If it happened, it's because there's a way to change it. We wouldn't be forced through a famine if there was no way to overcome it."

"Kaylee... what if we lose people?" Dr. K frowned.

"I don't know," Kaylee shook her head, "My goal is for humanity to survive. Everyone overcoming this will be a bonus."

"Are you sure we can do it?" Dr. K asked. Kaylee nodded confidently.

"Positive," she said, patting Dr. K's shoulder. "Now, you three, get to work. We have no time to lose."

-----RPM-----

"I don't think this is so hard," Ziggy said, falling into the couch beside Dillon and Mike. "So we don't eat as much... it'll cut the junk food from our diet and we'll all be in peak condition!"

Ziggy tried to flex his muscles, but there wasn't much his noodle arms could do to prove his strength.

"Ziggy, this is a severe famine. If I want an apple, I have to cut it up so we can all share it," Hayden frowned. "It's not a cut in our junk food diet, it's a cut from our full diet."

"We have to share apples?" Mike asked, looking over at the fruit bowl.

Greg threw his clipboard on the coffee table for everyone to see.

"I've given us a month to figure out how to stop this famine," Greg frowned, "And if we stretch all the food supplies evenly throughout the city, the only way we can all wisely consume our food, is if we eat that shared apple, a little over an ounce of meat, and if we all share a small loaf of bread... a day."

"Is that for both meals?" Summer asked. Greg shook his head.

"It's for the entire day."

There was a loud rumble as Flynn grabbed his stomach and looked around, "I don't think I can do it."

"We're going to have to," Scott nodded. He looked over at Samantha, who was trying to calm the crying Engel. The poor child was hungry, but the grocery stores were bare, and even something as simple as milk powder was gone. Samantha had to make it last if she wanted Engel to see her first birthday.

Hayden got up from her spot on the couch and walked over to her sister. She could see Samantha was crying. It was still only the first day, and yet she was already in a panic.

"Sammy? You okay?" she asked. Samantha lifted her head slightly to look at her sister, and shook her head.

"I don't think I can do this," she frowned.

Hayden nodded, patting her sister's leg as she turned to Summer, "Did you talk to your mom?"

"Aunt K and I did," Summer sighed, breaking the news, "Both my parents want me to go home. My mom's also called for a small evacuation of Corinth. Young children, healthy seniors and the sick are all being offered a chance to live in NewTech until Corinth in settled."

"I thought they only had enough food for themselves," Mike frowned, "Aunt Kira's getting more people?"

"They have food," Summer said, "But not enough to feed all of Corinth and NewTech, so my mom's only asking for the people who need the food the most. Everyone else she considers either strong enough to last, or too weak to try and save."

"So, seniors, the sick and young children?" Scott asked, "Will she take Engel?"

"Newborn to five years of age," Summer smiled, "Engel's got a pass."

"And seniors? Aren't they too weak?" Dillon frowned. Summer shook her head.

"The senior age starts at 56 years," she said, "the cut off is 70."

Flynn nodded, "A lot of those grandparents are still fighting."

"And the sick?" Dillon asked.

"Sick, but will recover if taken care of. If they are fatally ill, they are being asked to stay," Summer sighed, thinking of all the people who needed help, but wouldn't get it.

"You don't fit into any of those," Mike growled, "You're not a baby, you're not old, and you're not sick."

"Yeah, but my mom's the one calling the shots," Summer reminded her cousin, "She's got a ticket reserved for me."

"That's not fair," Mike frowned. Surprisingly, Summer shook her head.

"It's not," she agreed, "But... I don't want to die... As much as I wish someone who needed the ticket could use it... I'm scared."

"Look, Summer should go," Samantha said, "Her family's in NewTech, why should she suffer?"

"Why should we?" Scott asked. "Her family's in NewTech, but she's living here!"

"Guys," Summer yelled, before this got out of hand, "I'm going, there's no stopping it. Whether I want to or not."

Samantha smiled, putting Engel in the yellow Ranger's arms. Summer took the baby and nodded.

"I'll take care of her, I promise," she whispered.

Dillon let his head fall back as he groaned loudly, "This is all too sudden," he breathed, "Corinth's going to die, we're all going to die, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Hey, Kaylee said in her speech that she was working on a solution," Ziggy smiled, trying to bring in hope, "And Kaylee's never failed us before, right Hayden?"

"Yeah," Hayden nodded, "My mom's done some amazing things. She's been in life or death situations before... but nothing like a famine."

"So, what exactly will this famine do to us?" Daniela asked quietly.

"You feel your stomach rumbling?" Greg asked her. Daniela nodded, holding her stomach. "Well, it's only going to become more tiring and painful from here."

"It's only been a day..."

"Yeah, a day without food, when you know there's something tomorrow is different than a day without food, knowing there's going to be less tomorrow, and less the day after, and so on and so forth, until there is no more food."

"Look, guys, there's still a bunch of water left," Hayden smiled, turning to the tap. "Just... try and fill up on that when food isn't an option. We'll get through this."

"Easy for you to say," Mike muttered, "When you go hungry, you'll stomach'll just eat itself, regenerate, and eat itself again."

Mike leaned forward on the couch. He had eyes only for Hayden, but he was speaking to the entire team.

"You're not going to die from this."

-----RPM-----

After sending Dr. K, Gem and Gemma on their way, Kaylee turned into her little office and sat in her chair. She made sure the doors were locked before resting her head on the desk and hiding under her arms.

"Save the young, the old and the sick, let everyone else starve," she muttered, "Find a way to magically create energy... if high school taught me anything it's that energy can't be created! How can the Rangers fight, if they don't have the power to do so! If this famine doesn't kill us all, Venjix might..."

Kaylee lifted her head and turned to the computer, turning on the monitors to watch the city. She could already seem people arguing over food as the panic set in. Everyone was looking out for themselves. No one cared about the person next door. As long as they survived, it was key.

If only there was a way to create food. Gem and Gemma were smart and inventive, but could they create a machine that would provide an entire city with food... for eternity?

Especially without help from Dr. K who was asked to do the impossible. The poor young doctor finally found a shred of hope for herself, and now she's facing the threat of death.

The Rangers were going to be breaking apart as well. Summer was being sent back to NewTech so she could survive, and Hayden couldn't die. The rest of the team wasn't going to like that at all. Why allow only one of them to survive? Weren't they a team? Live together, fight together and die together?

Families were being torn apart as well. Children were going to go to NewTech and live with people they didn't know. Poor Christian was going to have to adapt once more to a new family if the inevitable happened and famine got the best of his family. Sure he was going to live with Lily, Casey and Heather, but that was all new to a three year old, and too much at once.

Kaylee screamed as she witnessed the first death of the day due to famine. One man, desperately trying to provide for his family, punched another man in the head, snapping his neck and winning the giant frozen chicken that, if preserved properly, should suffice for a good week.

Famine: Day One.

Number of deaths: One.

Chances of survival: Minimal.


	9. Death Toll

"Hello, little fishy," Karly smirked, hovering over the fish tank in the lab that used to be for scientific experiments. Now that famine had set in, and every food imaginable was gone or in reserve, this fish tank was lunch. "You all look so good; I wonder which I'll eat first."

"Ooh, let me have one of those," Ziggy grinned, running to the tank and rolling up his sleeve. Normally, he wasn't one for fishing goldfish, but there were no laws on how much of those you could eat a day.

Karly turned to the awkward green Ranger and hissed. As he reached into the tank, she jumped on him, grabbing his face and clawing at it.

"MINE!" she yelled, never letting go until Ziggy backed away from the tank. "My food, ya here? I eat these beautiful fish, you can go die in a corner!"

When Karly was satisfied with the distance between Ziggy and the fish tank, she hopped down and moseyed back over to the tank, jumping on the rim to watch her prey. Ziggy rubbed his face, where the claw marks were visible, and frowned.

"That's mean," he frowned, sitting in a chair to sulk.

Karly ignored the green Ranger. The famine had been called a week ago, and she was starving. Any food she could find, she was going to keep.

One fish swam close enough to the surface, and Karly tried to grab it, but slipped and fell into the tank. As any other cat, she didn't like the water and swam as quickly as she could to get out.

Ziggy watched her, chuckling. Karly glared at the boy, but parted her lips so he could see the tail of the fish she had in her mouth. She hopped out of the tank and dropped it on the ground.

"My fishy," she smiled, playing with the goldfish by throwing it between her paws, watching it struggle for oxygen in the form of water.

The other Rangers, minus Summer who had left three days before, walked into the lab to take their mind off their hunger. They all saw Karly enjoying the little bit of food she was going to eat, and were jealous.

"The advantages of being a cat," she grinned, finally killing the little fish and eating it, "We're natural born hunters, ready to kill the small and the weak for our own survival."

Karly didn't see the expression on the boy's and Daniela's face change as she said this. Dillon went as far as licking his lips as he watched the cat.

She was, after all, meat. And meat had protein. If shared equally, this cat could be enough to calm his stomach for the time being.

Karly finally finished the fish and looked up at the humans. They were all eyeing her hungrily.

Flynn knew it was wrong to kill a house pet for food, but drastic times called for drastic measures. He was sure he could get enough meat out of Karly to fix in a hot dog bun.

Now that the image was there, Flynn couldn't pass up the opportunity. He was a big boy; he needed more food than what he was getting.

"Um... humans... if you could refrain from staring at me, it would be very much appreciated," Karly begged, backing away from the hungry Rangers.

"Hey, in some old countries, cats were food," Greg shrugged.

Hayden walked into the room just at that moment, gnawing on one of the hungry hippo balls. Karly ran for her master, jumping into her arms and hiding away in fear.

"They want to eat me!" she screamed. The little white ball flew out of the brunette's mouth as she looked down at her cat.

"They want to what?" she asked.

"Eat me!" Karly yelled again, "They think I'm good! Have they not met me? I'm a cold, bitter and sour cat! Very distasteful!"

Hayden turned to her friends, holding her cat in her arms, "No eating my kitty!"

"Hayden, babe, it's survival of the fittest," Flynn tried to explain, keeping an eye on Karly so she didn't run off. "We do what we can to live."

Hayden nodded, putting Karly on the ground, but stepping over her so none of the others would jump at her.

"There's a little bit of steak left. If you guys are craving meat, go finish it off," she said, "but no one touches my cat."

"She's right guys," Scott nodded, finally coming to his senses. "Karly's family. No matter how bad this gets, we don't eat family."

The boys and Dani turned away, but Flynn stayed with his girlfriend. He looked over at her and frowned.

"You okay, Hayden?" he asked. Hayden nodded, watching Karly stalk back over to the fish tank.

"I'm fine, Flynn, just a little hungry."

"I haven't seen you eat much since this famine started," Flynn continued, "You're getting all the meals you need, right?"

"Uh... yeah," Hayden answered, forcing a smile for her boyfriend, "I just don't eat with you guys. Don't worry though, I'm only eating my share of the food, and I'm preserving it well."

"Okay," Flynn said a little unconvinced. He could see Hayden was getting much slimmer, and though it was expected with the famine, when he compared her to Dani, she seemed to be losing weight fast. Though both the girls weren't exactly of the same built, they were pretty close. However, he trusted that whatever Hayden was doing with her food, she was being careful and still eating.

Hayden could hear the tone in Flynn's voice and frowned, "I'm fine, seriously!"

"Okay, okay," Flynn nodded. "I'm just making sure. I don't want something to happen to you."

Hayden smiled, kissing the blue Ranger, "I'm invincible, remember? Nothing will happen to me."

Hayden turned toe and walked off to the main room. Flynn rubbed the back of his neck and turned to the team. They were all sharing a small box of raisins to tie them over until Kaylee came home to cook a small dinner.

He decided he would eat as well. His stomach had been hurting for the past couple of hours, and he didn't think he could endure it anymore. He walked into the other room, made his way to the fridge and opened it.

It seemed that the fridge was slightly more stalked than it had been earlier that day. But no one had been allowed to refill it until every item of food was gone. He frowned, closing the door and turning to the storage room.

With the famine going on, he wasn't allowed to go in there. Only Kaylee and Dustin had permission to enter the storage room to gather food for the fridge. But Flynn wasn't going to take food; he was simply going to confirm his suspicions. He made sure no one saw him as he pulled the door open and stepped inside.

All the Rangers and the mentors had their own little section of food that would be placed in the fridge when it needed refilling. That way, if someone did eat too much, too fast, they wouldn't deprive everyone else of food. Depending on their need for food, the Rangers got a food supply that would last them the month.

Flynn walked past all the different shelves. Everything seemed to be equal still. Everyone had their proper amount of food for the month.

Except Hayden. Her food supply was much smaller than it should have been. And seeing as Hayden was also getting smaller and weaker, Flynn could safely assume she wasn't overeating.

"Hayden..." he breathed.

-----RPM-----

"Mrs. Brooks, please, I need the food," a woman on the street was begging Kaylee as the stressed out mentor returned from checking up on the twins. They had been told to use the military lab for their research and development of a machine that would provide the city with food so that they wouldn't be distracted. Everyday Kaylee would check up on them and give them their daily supply of food.

Every day, on her way home, someone would beg her for the food she had stored for the city. At first, it was easy to say no. The one week mark hadn't been reached, and therefore Kaylee could deny with little guilt.

But now, it had been more than a week. Kaylee didn't want all the food to disappear fast, but she didn't want the people to starve.

"Miss, I can only give you three day's worth of food for the rest of the month," Kaylee told the woman, picking her up from the ground gently and wiping off the dust from her jacket, "If you really need it, I'll be happy to help, but if not, then please, don't take from others."

"I need it," the woman nodded desperately; "I've got three kids at home. They were too old to go to NewTech, but too young to starve. I need to feed them..."

The woman was cut off by the sound of a gun from a few streets down. Kaylee's eyes widened as she put herself in front of the woman protectively until she could figure out what to do.

"There must be another brawl," the woman whispered into Kaylee's ears. "Mrs. Brooks, the city's going crazy."

"A brawl, you mean more people are fighting?"

The woman nodded. Kaylee groaned. She pulled out a business card from her pocket.

"If you really need the food, write your address on the back and I'll check you supplies. If I think you qualify, I'll give you what you need to survive three more days."

The woman agreed, taking a pen from Kaylee and quickly printing her name on the card. Kaylee stuffed the card in her pocket and smiled softly at the woman before running down the street. She had to stop the fight before someone else died.

"Whoa, whoa!" she yelled, getting between the two men, "Stop!"

The men didn't listen to her. Instead, they shoved her away and continued to wrestle for the can of peas they found slightly buried in the ground. Kaylee growled, crossing her arms.

"Okay, you want to fight dirty," she muttered, "Power of water!"

A thin, yet powerful, stream of water came from the palm of Kaylee's hand, hitting both men and knocking them off their feet. As they tried to get up, Kaylee stood between them. Both men spotted their leader and stopped the fight.

"What the hell is going on?" Kaylee yelled, looking at the two men. "Why are you fighting like this?"

"I found this can, I should be entitled to taking it home!" the first man answered, "But this guy jumped me and tried taking off with it, so I fought back."

Kaylee took a deep breath, picking up the can of peas from the ground.

"Look, guys, I know this is hard, but we have to work together if we're going to survive," she told them both. "We can't let this turn us into animals! We're better than that!"

"Easy for you to say," the second man barked, wiping the blood from the side of his mouth, "You've got enough food and then some. How do we know you haven't taken from what you claim to be the city's?"

"You don't know," Kaylee frowned, "But you have to trust me! I don't want this city to fall! Now..."

Kaylee pulled out her claws from her knuckled and swiped at the can of peas, breaking it open. Some of the contents fell to the ground, but most ended up in both halves of the can. She retracted her claws and gave each man one half.

"You two are going to share this. Take it home to your families. It's good for one supper."

The men nodded, taking the cans and grabbing whatever they could salvage from the ground. Without so much as a thank you, they walked away from Kaylee.

She took a deep breath of relief, until her handheld computer went off. Dreading the news, she pulled it out.

_Deaths: 54_.

"But..." Kaylee whimpered. Just a few moments ago it had been at 51. During that little fight between the two men, there were more going around in the city that Kaylee could have stopped. Now, three people were dead because she had been in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Kaylee kicked the wall and sunk down to the ground. This was becoming too much to handle. People were depending on her to survive, but she still had no idea how to help them.

And she only had three weeks left.

-----RPM-----

"We can't keep doing this," Scott uttered, dropping to the ground as soon as his feet hit the floor of the garage. The other Rangers weren't far behind.

"I'm sorry, Rangers," Dr. K sighed, "I've been working day and night to find energy to assist you, but I'm not getting any results."

"It's okay, Rebecca," Ziggy smiled, trying to take some of the guilt away from the poor doctor. "It was an easy attack bot. Venjix must think we're weaker than we normally are."

The battle with a simple Attack Bot had been difficult, but the Rangers manage to pull through in the end. The Colonel, however, had been watching the battle on the monitors and was forced to fully power the shields for the rest of the month. This meant no Venjix attack-bot could get in, but it also meant no one could get out.

Even the gates to NewTech were closed. There was no longer any way to escape this famine.

"In any case, I'll still be looking for a way to provide you Rangers with energy. Death tolls are rising quickly, and Kaylee made need some assistance from you guys," Dr. K said. She turned to leave, and Greg followed.

"I'll help, Becky," he said, making her smile at the nickname. "It'll take my mind off my stomach."

The other Rangers were left alone in the garage, leaning on whatever they could.

"Well, I think after a long battle, it would be healthy to eat something," Mike suggested, "We could all use the energy."

"Good thinking," Dillon agreed. Though large snacks weren't permitted, the Rangers were an exception to this after fighting. They needed the energy after the intense "workout" to continue with their day.

Hayden followed the boys, but suddenly started to sway. She was about to fall when Flynn steadied her.

"You okay?" he asked her. Hayden held her head with one hand, while Flynn held her other arm for support. The Pink Ranger nodded.

"I'm okay," she assured him. Flynn was anything but convinced this time. He could feel her shaking and he could hear her stomach rumbling loudly.

"Why don't you eat with us today?" he asked. Hayden shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I think I'll just go lie down for now," she answered. She broke free from Flynn's grasp and slowly made her way to the stairs, trying not to show the others she was stumbling with every step. Once she got to the stairs, she grabbed onto the railing, holding it as tight as she possibly could.

Samantha was already in the kitchen, making a snack for the Rangers, but she was also watching her sister carefully.

"I'm worried about her," Flynn whispered, pulling her from her thoughts. He kept his voice low so he didn't alert the other Rangers. "I never really see her eat. I think, I've seen her with one carrot stick and a third of a banana, but that's it."

"I know," Samantha nodded.

"Normally, I would trust her... but... nothing seems to be adding up," Flynn frowned. "I checked the food supplies in the storage room. Everyone's is right except hers. She seems to be running low, so you would think she's eating..."

"But she's too frail," Samantha continued. "If she is eating more than the rest of us, she would be stronger and she would have more energy."

"I'm going to go talk to her," Flynn said, but Samantha grabbed his arm.

"I'll talk to her," she said. "I don't think her boyfriend should discuss her weight and eating habits with her. And she is my sister; I should be taking care of her."

Flynn reluctant agreed, taking over the snack preparations so Samantha could leave to talk with her sister. While the others weren't looking, he set aside a large portion of the snack for Hayden.

If he was right, which he wished he wasn't, then she was going to need this snack more than the others.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee finally made it back to her house, finding Dustin passed out on the couch with the remote hanging loosely in his hands. Now that Christian was gone, he had nothing to do during the day.

She walked over to him, placing her hand gently on his chest to wake him. Dustin stirred and rubbed his eyes, before seeing Kaylee's face. Her makeup was running down her face, showing him she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, making room for her on the couch. Kaylee's didn't take it. She just buried her head in his lap.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered to him. "I save one person, three people die instead. If I saved those three, that one person dies. No matter what I do, someone's going to get hurt, and I can't stop it."

Dustin moved off the couch, sitting with his legs tucked under him so he could hold Kaylee.

"This is hard for everyone," he told her, "You can't do everything by yourself."

"There's too much," Kaylee sobbed. Dustin rubbed her back gently.

"You focus on fixing this problem," he said, "There's no point in saving the city from itself, if you can't save it from the famine."

"But..."

"Don't worry about the people," Dustin interrupted, "You're not the only one who can do something. Ronny, Tori, Blake, Kelly and RJ live in this city as well. They'll be happy to help you. And Jason and Tommy are only a phone call away. You don't need to do this alone."

Kaylee's little computer beeped again. She picked it up and looked at the readings.

_Famine: Day Seven._

_Deaths: 89._

_Chances of Survival: None_.

The Ranger Legend screamed, throwing her computer against the wall. A jump from 54 to 89 was high in a few short minutes. The city was turning into chaos, and here she was wallowing in self pity.

She got to her feet, but Dustin pulled her down roughly.

"Kaylee, stop," he demanded. Kaylee tried to pull away, but Dustin held tight.

"Let me go!" Kaylee yelled, "I have to go out there. I have to stop everyone!"

Kaylee freed herself and tried to run, but Dustin pinned her down, forcing her to the ground. He put himself on top of her, holding her hands down by her head. He was close to sitting on her stomach, with both legs on either side to keep her from getting free.

"Kaylee, you can't help everyone," he told her. She struggled to break free, screaming for Dustin to let her go. It broke his heart that he was doing this, but it was all to help her. "Kaylee, listen to me."

"Get off!" she screamed.

"Kaylee, breath!" Dustin yelled over her screams, "You can't help the city in this state. You need a break!"

"People are dying! The people I'm supposed to protect!"

"You can't do anything to stop it," Dustin said. "Kaylee, there are other people willing to help. Please, babe, just relax."

"I can't! It's my job! I have to do it," Kaylee screamed. The computer, which still wasn't broken, beeped again, meaning the death toll had risen. There could have been one death, or the entire city could be gone.

"Dustin, I have to go!" Kaylee yelled, finally getting little wiggle room to push herself off the ground.

"Kaylee, you can't do this anymore!" Dustin frowned, trying to hold her down without hurting her, but she was strong. "You're human, and to take care of others, you have to take care of yourself."

"They're depending on me!" Kaylee screamed. She wormed her way out from under Dustin and almost made a break for it, but Dustin still held the advantage. Before she got far, he slammed her down, forcing her to land on her back and taking the wind out of her for a moment. Kaylee laid there in shock, but Dustin stayed strong.

"Babe, take a deep breath, he whispered gently into her ear. "You're not going to save anyone like this. Take the night off, calm down then tomorrow I'll assemble the team to help you. Everything's going to be okay."

Kaylee finally relaxed, looking up at Dustin with her tear-filled eyes. He picked her up, putting her on his lap and holding her in his arms.

"You can't save the world by yourself," he whispered.


	10. In The Wrong

Samantha stepped into her sister's room, finding the small pink Ranger lying on her bed, on her side, trying to fall asleep. She walked over to the pink bed slowly, and sat down beside the younger girl. Placing a hand on Hayden's side, she tried to see if the brunette was awake.

Hayden started to stir, so Samantha could assume she was up. She patted her sister's side and smiled.

"Hey."

"Go away," Hayden muttered, rolling over so she was lying on her stomach. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I know that," Samantha whispered, lying next to her sister, "But I need to talk to you."

"Can we talk later?" Hayden asked. "I'm really not in the mood."

"Tired?" Samantha asked. Hayden turned eyeing her pillow for a moment then giving Samantha a knowing look.

"How did you know?" she asked sarcastically.

"Intuition," Samantha smirked. Hayden rolled her eyes, trying to lie down, but Samantha persisted. "My intuition is also telling me something's going on."

"Well, there is a famine happening," Hayden snapped, "Maybe that's making your spidey senses tingle."

"Cut the attitude," Samantha frowned, pulling her sister up, "Flynn and I are worried about you. We never see you eat, yet your food supply seems to be running much lower than the rest."

"I didn't have much to start," Hayden shrugged. "I don't eat as much."

"I know that," Samantha nodded, "But I want to know if you are eating."

"Yes, Sammy, I'm eating," Hayden said, looking her sister in the eye so there was no suspicion. "And after my nap, I'm going down for a snack."

"Okay..." Samantha got back to her feet and moved to the door. Just before leaving, she turned to her sister, "I know you're invincible, Hayden, but you know... no one's going to blame you for taking some food."

"I know," Hayden nodded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Samantha breathed, closing the door behind her. Just as she turned around, she bumped into Flynn. She screamed, but he covered her mouth.

"So?" he asked. Samantha spotted the tray of snacks in his hand and sighed.

"She told me she's been eating," she whispered. "I don't see a reason not to trust her."

Flynn frowned, looking down at the food. He had given Hayden a bigger share, because he was afraid she hadn't been eating at all since the start of the famine. If his suspicions were right, the reason Hayden's food supply was running low, as well as her energy, was because she was taking her food, and mixing it in with everyone else's. That way, at first glance, it would appear as if Hayden was eating and no one was the wiser.

"I do," Flynn said, "She's a pretty good liar when it comes to protecting us."

"So, you're not trusting your girlfriend?" Samantha asked. Flynn nodded. Samantha rolled her eyes and sighed, "Ranger couples are odd."

Flynn laughed slightly, holding the tray up, "Well, I'm going to give this to her. Maybe she'll eat if she has food brought to her."

"Good idea," Samantha smiled. She patted Flynn on the arm and got out of his way so he could go into the room.

Downstairs, Ziggy, Scott, Mike and Dillon were sitting on the couch with a video game controller in their hands.

"As kicking time!" Ziggy cheered, defeating the other two with ease. "I am the master."

"Too bad you can't do that on the real battlefield," Dillon smirked, reaching over to grab some chips, but finding none. He sighed, remembering the famine, and went back to resting on the couch.

"It's harder in real life," Ziggy frowned, turning off the game console.

"And yet, we all manage to do it," Scott teased. Ziggy stuck out his tongue at the boys as Dani sat down between them.

"Stupid hippos," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"What's so stupid about the hippos?" Mike laughed.

"They don't have to worry about a famine," Dani growled, "Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because they don't have famines!" Daniela growled. "They eat little plastic balls!"

"Well, if you lose the balls, they have nothing to eat," Ziggy shrugged, planting an idea in Daniela's head. She quickly got up, pulled the game out from the game drawer and dumped it on the ground, collecting every last little plastic ball.

"Dani, where are you going?" Dillon asked as the red head started to walk to the bathroom.

"Famine time!" Daniela smirked. The three boys heard the familiar sound of water splashing as Daniela dropped the balls in the toilet, then flushed.

A few seconds later, Daniela was back on the couches with a big smile on her face.

"There, now no one's eating," she grinned.

Ziggy's lower lip started to quiver, "The hippo game... it's gone."

"Stupid overeating hippos," Dani grumbled.

-----RPM-----

"So, we have all the tools," Gem started, looking at his sister. She nodded.

"And we have all the pieces," she added.

"We just need..."

"... a brilliant idea."

Greg stepped in, closing the door behind him and turning to his long-time friends, "Mind if I help? The garage makes me think of eating."

"We could use all the help we can get," Gem nodded, pulling up a chair for Greg. He sat down and looked at all the blank pieces of paper.

"Are you still missing an idea?" he asked.

"Oh no," Gemma shook her head, "We have plenty of ideas. We just don't know how they'll work."

"Or if they will work," Gem added.

"Or if they're even possible in this day and age," Gemma finished. Both twins took a deep breath and sighed loudly.

"We're tests subjects, not inventors," they frowned. Greg smiled at his friends.

"Well, I'm not an inventor, but I did help develop a lot of technology. Why don't you guys run me through some of the ideas you had, and I'll see if there's anything I can do to help."

-----RPM-----

Dustin finally felt Kaylee go limp in his arms as she fell asleep. He lifted her up, placing her on the couch and covering her with a blanket.

"Everything's going to be okay," he whispered, kissing her forehead as he reached for the phone. "You're not doing this alone."

-----RPM-----

"Lass?" Flynn called, walking into his girlfriend's bedroom with the tray of food. "You awake?"

Hayden groaned loudly, sitting up in her bed, "If you guys don't want me to sleep, you could have told me before I got comfortable in bed."

"Sorry, but I brought you something to eat," Flynn said, holding up the tray for her to see.

"Uh, thanks, Flynn," Hayden smiled shyly, fiddling with her hair, "You can set it down on the table. I'll eat it after I nap."

"You might nap better if you eat," Flynn suggested. He grabbed a cracker off the tray and offered it to Hayden. She politely declined, putting the cracker, and the tray, down.

"Flynn, if you're going to talk to me like my sister did then you're wasting your time. I promise you, I'm eating, just like the rest of you!"

"I'm just... scared for you, Hayden," Flynn admitted, sitting beside his girlfriend, "It doesn't look like you're eating, and I never see you putting food in your mouth. It would really put me at ease if you would eat with the rest of us, sometimes, so I know you're okay."

"I promise, I'm fine," Hayden said softly, "I'm just, really tired. I'll eat this before leaving my room."

"Okay," Flynn nodded. He kissed her cheek and stood up. "You're scaring me, though, lass. I know you can't die, but... I don't want to see you hurt."

"I don't want you to be hurting, either Flynn," Hayden smiled.

She waited for him to leave, before grabbing the tray. She set it down on her pillow before throwing herself off the bed. She reached under and pulled out a small box. She lifted the cover, dumping the crackers inside and arranging them neatly. When they were all set up, she grabbed a few books, placing them on top of the crackers, and put the lid back on. She stuffed the box back under her bed, put the tray back on the end table, and went to sleep.

-----RPM-----

Tori and Blake were last to arrive at the Brooks residence after having to drop Jason and Elena off at a friend's house. They gathered with Dustin, Ronny, RJ and Kelly in the kitchen to talk.

"What's the emergency?" Tori asked, noticing right away that her sister wasn't leading, or even in the room. "Where's Kaylee?"

"Sleeping, finally," Dustin whispered, pointing down the hall to the living room. "I call you guys because she needs help."

"Well, looks like the tables have turned," RJ frowned, "The Great Ranger needs help from us. What does she need help with?"

"Everything," Dustin sighed, "She's got the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she's trying to carry it."

"Kaylee," Kelly groaned, rolling her eyes.

"She broke down yesterday, but didn't stop moving," Dustin explained, "She's trying to help everyone, but she knows that in order to do that, she's gotta be in two places at once, if not more."

"She's driving herself insane, isn't she?" Blake asked. Dustin nodded. He held up her computer, which he had nicknamed _Devil_.

"This keeps track of everyone in the city. Every few minutes it updates her on the city status."

The little devil beeped, and Dustin showed the others.

_Famine: Day Seven._

_Deaths: 118._

_Chances of Survival: None._

"Ouch," Tori frowned, taking the computer to get a better look. "Does it give any good news?"

"The good news is the death count doesn't say Corinth," Dustin sighed. "I was hoping you guys could help with this."

"I'll smash it," Kelly smirked, taking the tool from Tori.

"I was thinking something along the lines of dividing the city," Dustin suggested. "If we were to each take a sector, we can deal with smaller problems and break down the bigger ones."

"So, basically, we're each responsible for a sector?" RJ asked.

"It's the only way Kaylee can be in two places at once," Dustin nodded, "And the city's small enough. It's not like you'll be taking on an entire region."

"We'll do it," Ronny smiled, happy to be helping, "But what is Kaylee going to do?"

"We'll have to report to her," Dustin frowned, "But at least, this way, more people can be helped and saved, and she might feel a little less stress."

"It all sounds good," Kelly said, "but... what exactly are we going to do in our sector?"

"Help out those in need," Dustin started, "Break up fights, solve problems, judge whether or not a person or a family is entitled to the city's food supply... stuff like that."

"It sounds... dangerous," RJ frowned, pulling Kelly in close.

"I know," Dustin agreed, running his hand through his hair as he turned to look into the living room. "But... it's something we have to do. It's for the best."

"If it helps, I've got a map of the city with all the sectors," Ronny smiled, pulling a folded up paper from her pocket. "I think the city's divided into six already. We just need to pick a district."

-----RPM-----

Hayden woke up from a restless nap and got out of bed. Even after the sleep, she felt weak and broken, but she masked it well enough. She reached under the bed, grabbing the box. She looked inside to make sure no one had gone snooping.

She grabbed the tray as well, putting it on top of the box before leaving. As she made her way downstairs, she saw Flynn was on the couch with the rest of the team.

"Flynn, Sammy, look!" she smiled, waving the empty tray for them to see. Both breathed a sigh of relief, taking the tray from Hayden.

"What's in the box?" Samantha asked. Hayden pulled off the lid, showing the contents.

"Just a few old books," Hayden smiled, "I think I'll give them back to Hannah next time I see her."

"And you put them in the box, why?' Samantha frowned, picking up a book. Hayden shrugged.

"So I don't forget them," she said. Samantha took the answer and went back to the couch. Hayden took the tray from Flynn.

"I'll wash it," she smiled, "Thanks for the snack."

"Anytime," Flynn beamed. He kissed her on the cheek and took back his seat. Hayden went to the kitchen and turned on the water. As it ran and filled the sink, she ducked behind the counters, pulling out the box of crackers. She took the books out and dumped all the crackers and the crumbs back inside. When there wasn't a trace of food left, she put the books back and turned off the tap to start washing.

Daniela watched her cousin nervously, "You okay, Hay?" she asked. From the kitchen, Hayden groaned.

"For the millionth time, yes!"

"Just checking," Dani said, "You don't look well."

-----RPM-----

Kaylee woke up, finding herself on the couch with the blanket placed over top of her. She remembered what happened before she passed out and knew Dustin put her there.

She lifted herself off the couch and went to look for him. Instead, she found a note.

"_Hey babe,_

_The others and I went out to watch the city for you. I left all the information in the folder beside this note. Take the rest of the day off and relax. Go see the Rangers and Sammy if it helps._

_Love, Dustin."_

Kaylee smiled, putting down the note and picking up the folder. She saw all the different sectors and the names attached to them.

"They're helping me?" she asked herself, feeling a little bit of relief. She looked at her watch. It was close to dinner time. Now that she had been given the day off, she had nothing else to do, so she decided to go to the base to make a proper, yet small, dinner for the Rangers.

But first she was going to drop off some food for the twins.

-----RPM-----

"Six ball corner pocket," Ziggy called, leaning over the table to take his shot. With Summer out of the way, the Rangers were free to play pool, without the danger of losing all their spare change.

Hayden stood beside him, leaning on the pool stick for support. Everyone else was in the lab, trying to help Rebecca "create energy".

Hayden didn't want to admit it, but she was really starting to feel the effects of the famine taking place. She hadn't eating proper food in days and she was sure her stomach was beginning to eat itself. What was worst, her powers didn't have enough energy to keep her from feeling the pain. She was going to heal, and the cycle would continue, but she was going to feel every aching minute.

On top of that, she was feeling weak and dizzy. By now, Ziggy should have been begging for mercy as Hayden tried to sink her last shot in. The only reason he was winning, was because Hayden couldn't see straight, and therefore couldn't sink a shot in.

"Aha!" Ziggy cheered, sinking his ball. He only had one left, the eight ball. "I'll give you a chance to catch up."

He stepped away from the table, inviting Hayden to play again. She tried to line up her shot, but couldn't see.

She stood back up straight, holding her head.

"Hey... you okay?" he asked her.

"Just a little... embarrassed," Hayden laughed, waving it off. "My cousin's the champ, and I'm losing big time to you."

"Hey!" Ziggy chuckled, "That's not nice."

Hayden patted him on the shoulder... or what she thought was his shoulder.

"Um, you too?" Ziggy asked, tapping Hayden's cheek. Hayden simply turned back to the table, leaning over it and trying to line up her shot.

Ziggy watched her and saw something that scared him. Her stick was shaking. He could see she was trying to line up her shot, but she couldn't get the right aim.

"Hayden?" as soon as he called her name he saw her fall onto the pool table, unconscious. His eyes widened as he ran to her side to wake her.

"Hayden... Hayden! C'mon, answer me!" he called, tapping her cheek. "Hayden, wake up!"

He pulled her off the table and laid her down on the ground.

"Hayden, snap out of it!"

Kaylee stepped into the garage at that moment, hearing Ziggy's cries. She dropped her bag of food and ran around the cars to the pool table.

She saw Hayden on the ground, in Ziggy's arms, and everything came rushing back; all the feelings from before washed over her as she dropped to her knees.

"HAYDEN!" she screamed, hitting the girl's stomach desperately.

While she was out protecting the city, she wasn't doing anything to stop the famine.

When she was trying to stop the famine, people would be dying.

When she was trying to stop the city from killing itself, she was wearing herself thin.

When she worried about herself, her daughter started to fall.

If she were to start worrying about Hayden, she wouldn't help herself. If she didn't help herself, people would be killed. If people were being killed, there would be no city left to save and no city to protect. But if she didn't help her daughter, she would be letting her family down.

No matter which way Kaylee looked, she found herself in the wrong. It seemed there was nothing she could do that would help everyone. No matter what she did, it seemed like someone was going to pay.

"Hayden..." Kaylee sobbed, looking at the daughter, "What the hell did you do?"

The Rangers heard her screams and rushed in, but as soon as they saw Ziggy holding Hayden, they stopped. Flynn growled, turning to his car and kicking the wheel.

"I knew it!" he yelled. "I knew it, I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Scott asked.

"Hayden hasn't been eating!" Flynn frowned.

"Her food supply is..."

"Don't you get it?" Flynn yelled, turning to Daniela, "She's not eating the food. She's giving it to us!"

"Giving it... I haven't gotten food from her," Mike spoke.

"She's hiding it in our supplies... I knew it!" Flynn screamed, kicking the car again.

"She hasn't been eating?" Kaylee asked, noting her daughter's slimmed appearance.

"She probably felt guilty," Samantha whispered, "I know I would if I was sure to survive. She's probably giving you guys her food because she doesn't feel right eating it and taking it away from us."

"But... she can't die..." Ziggy whimpered, looking at the girl in his arms. "She..."

"Her stomach would eat itself, then heal," Rebecca said, "but her body can't produce certain essential elements."

"That would mean that..." Dillon trailed off.

"Her stomach's eating, but she's not getting any energy, any of the vitamins, or anything else she needs," Rebecca sighed, "And it think it's taken it's toll."

Daniela ran to the kitchen, going straight for the cabinet with all the vitamins. She grabbed a bunch and brought them to her aunt.

"If she's going to refuse to eat, the least she can do is swallow some of these," the red head smiled, handing the bottles to Kaylee. "I think it'll help."

"We'll take her to her room," Dillon said as he and Flynn took Hayden. Normally it would only take one boy to lift the girl, but with a lack of food and energy, they knew they wouldn't have the strength to carry her up the stairs alone, especially when her body was dead weight.

"Aunt K, just crush up the vitamins and put it in the water," Daniela instructed. "Mike can get it down, without drowning her."

"Whatever," Kaylee whispered looking down at her hands.

"What?" Dani asked, moving closer to the older woman. Kaylee scooted away.

"I don't care.... I can't do this..." Kaylee whispered. "I'm not fit for the job..."

Kaylee grabbed the medal on her RPM jacket and ripped it off, throwing it across the room.

"I'm not a world leader, I can't save the world and I can't be counted on. Someone else can do it."

"Aunt K..." Mike frowned, dropping beside Dani and Kaylee.

"The city's falling apart, I couldn't keep vegetation up and my own daughter's starving... it's all going on right under my nose and I can't keep it together long enough to think of a solution."

"Aunt Kaylee, that's not true!" Mike said as he grabbed her arm, "You're the best there is!"

"Then why the hell can't I save one person from death!" Kaylee screamed, "Why is it, whatever I do seems to cost someone their life? Everything's going wrong and I'm responsible!"

Kaylee ran out of the garage in tears and the Rangers were silenced.

Dr. K pushed through the teenagers and followed the older woman.

"Kaylee, wait!" she called, stepping outside without her oversized cloak. There was no time to grab it.

Scott brought his morpher to his mouth, "Dad... there's a little situation. You've just been, unofficially promoted."


	11. Greatness

"Kaylee, wait!" Rebecca called, running after her friend, leaving her oversized cloak behind as she ventured outside. She followed the older mentor, running down the streets. She was bumping into many people, most twice her size, but she would always squeeze her way through.

"Kaylee!" she yelled, finally catching the blonde's arm and spinning her around. Kaylee screamed, trying to break away, but Rebecca held tight. "Kaylee, calm down..."

"No!" Kaylee yelled, dropping to her knees in the middle of the street. "Everything's done... it's all my fault..."

"No, Kaylee, that's where you're mistaken," Rebecca frowned, dropping beside her friend, "This is my fault."

"Becca..."

"Let me finish," Rebecca pressed. She grabbed Kaylee's wrist, pulling her somewhere a little more secluded. When they were out of earshot from the rest of the city, Rebecca whispered. "I created the Venjix virus. I downloaded it and it's because of me we're living in a dome with no food."

"Bec..."

"You've been trying to fix my mistakes," Rebecca continued, "You've done nothing but try to right my wrongs... You can't put all this one yourself."

"She's as good as gone," Kaylee muttered, hiding her head in her hands and bringing her knees to her chest. "She's an invincible vegetable!"

"Who?" Rebecca asked, "Hayden? Kaylee, you know Hayden's going to bounce back, she always does!"

"I can't do this, Rebecca," Kaylee sobbed, finally looking up at the younger doctor. "I... I can't..."

"Kaylee, when you and I first met, I told you the same thing," Rebecca smiled. "There was so much I thought I wouldn't be able to do. After unleashing Venjix, I never thought I would really be helping in his destruction. It was just a wish. But you had the ideas and the technology to fight against him, and you told me you needed my help. Back then... you were really the only person who believed in me."

"Dr. K..."

"Please, Kaylee," Rebecca begged, grabbing Kaylee's arms, "You can't give up on yourself like this! I can't watch you break..."

-----RPM-----

After getting Hayden's to swallow the pills, Mike, Dani and Flynn sat by her bed. Flynn held her hand in his as she started to come too.

"What happened?" Hayden asked.

"You little idiot!" Mike yelled, glaring down at Hayden, "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Mike?" Hayden frowned.

"Seriously, Hayden!" Mike screamed, "Why the hell would you starve yourself?"

"Oh..." Hayden breathed as the memories came back. She remembered starving herself to keep her family well fed. She remembered passing out from lack of nutrients.

"Oh?" Mike frowned, "OH!? Is that all you have to say? OH!"

"Calm down, lad," Flynn said, grabbing Mike and holding him back. "She was just trying to help!"

"She never learns!" Mike said, shaking Flynn's hand off and walking to the side of the bed. "How many times have we told you...?"

"I'm sorry," Hayden whispered.

"I'm not taking it," Mike crossed his arms over his chest. "You say it every time. You always tell us you'll never do it again, and yet... you always do... I'm disappointed in you, Hayden..."

Mike stormed out of the room, slamming the bedroom door behind him. Hayden screamed, burying her head in her pillow. Flynn rested beside her, holding her in his arms.

"He was just scared," he whispered in her ear. "He's not mad... just scared."

Daniela huffed, turning to follow her cousin.

"What the hell was that!" she yelled from the top of the stairs, attracting attention from everyone else. Mike turned to look up and sighed. Daniela stomped over to the stairs, running down.

"Why the hell did you scream at her?" she yelled, walking right up to Mike. "You know why she did it. You don't need to make her feel bad! Why the hell are you yelling at her!"

Ziggy ran up to the two, grabbing Daniela and pulling her away. Samantha did the same to Mike. Both were keeping the two fighting cousins at a distance.

"She can't keep doing this!" Mike screamed, "She knows better! She knows she can get hurt! We've told her a thousand times..."

"This is her job!" Daniela growled, "Her job is to protect the city anyway she knows how! Putting herself in danger is the only thing she knows."

"She knows not to do this!"

"Look at this from her point of view, Michael! Try to see this from her eyes... she loves us, and she cares about us. That's not her fault. It's not her fault she can't die! It's not her fault this famine is hurting everyone! She's just trying to deal! She just wants all of us to be safe... not just her..."

"She needs to find another way..."

"Stop yelling at her..." Daniela felt the tears coming. "I don't want you guys to yell. I don't want you to fight..."

"Dani...?"

"Summer's gone... Aunt Kaylee's breaking down. I haven't seen my mother or father in days because they are so busy! Christian's gone! Engel's not waking me up in the middle of the night and I'm hungry!" Daniela sobbed. "I don't need you and Hayden to be fighting!"

"Look, team," Scott said, getting up from the couch. He put a hand on Mike's shoulder and wrapped the other around Samantha. "We're all hungry. We're tired... not everyone is thinking straight... but we need to be strong. We can't pretend like this famine isn't happening for most of the day, then suddenly scare ourselves when we get really hungry. We've got to fight it!"

"Scott's right," Dillon nodded, standing beside his leader, "We aren't going to solve this problem by sitting on our asses and flushing little white balls down the toilet. We're the defenders of Corinth! We're supposed to be out there protecting the city and keeping it from chaos and disaster."

"Yeah!" Ziggy agreed, pumping his fists in the air. "We're super heroes, guys! This is our job! Power Rangers protected the city from anything that could destroy it, not just Venjix."

"Alright!" Scott smiled, happy there was someone standing with him. "I say, tonight, we rest. We save our energy and relax, because tomorrow, we're putting an end to this famine!"

Daniela was beaming as she grabbed her morpher, "Greg... are you there?"

"_I'm listening, Dan."_

"Any luck with our solution?"

"_We're working on it now,"_ Greg's voice sounded positive. Daniela grinned, looking at her friends and cousins quickly before her gaze shifted back to her morpher.

"When will we see results?"

"_Hopefully in a matter of..."_

"_... days. We're inventing a food press!"_

"A what?" Scott laughed, hearing the twins on the morphers. He knew it was them, because there were two different voices speaking in sync.

"_A food press!" Greg chuckled, "Just like the printing press. In the sixteenth century, Gutenberg invented the printing press and was able to make printed copies. It was used to print the Bible. With it, people could make dozens of copies, with just the original piece!"_

"_We based our ideas off Gutenberg and came up with a food press. We're working on it now!" Gemma added._

"_And if we get it right, then we should be able to duplicate food! We'll never run out so long as we have at least one of everything!" Gem finished._

"Well... that's good news," Ziggy nodded. Scott laughed, he had to agree.

"Great job, guys, keep working on it."

"_On it, boss!" _Gem, Gemma and Greg spoke just before breaking off communication.

-----RPM-----

Rebecca was watching Kaylee cry and occasionally the blonde would hit her head against the hard wall. She couldn't bear to see the once emotionally and physically strong mentor so weak.

"Kaylee... you've been put in charge for a reason," the doctor whispered gently. "We all believe in you. We've never stopped..."

"I've let everyone down..."

"You just think that..."

"NO!" Kaylee screamed, "It's true! My entire life is a joke! I've spend my entire life thinking I was something special! I thought I was a hero! But now... when the world needs me... I can't do it!"

"You are a hero!"

"I'm worthless!"

"I beg to differ!" Rebecca snapped, "You are the greatest person to ever live! You fought space ninjas, mutant dinosaurs, magic creatures, monsters and animal spirits! You've raised a family and you created the technology that's keeping humanity going!"

"It was all a lie," Kaylee muttered. Rebecca shook her head. She was never going to break through. Kaylee was a stubborn one, there was no denying that.

Suddenly, an old saying hit her. Dr. K remembered the one thing in alphabet soup that her "parents" used to tell her.

"Some are born great... some achieve greatness... and some..."

Rebecca trailed off, turning to Kaylee. She sat in front of the blonde, lifting her face so they were looking eye to eye.

"Kaylee... some have greatness thrust upon them."

Kaylee didn't say a word as she waited for the young girl to continue. Rebecca smiled.

"You didn't choose the Wind Ninja Academy... it chose you. Your first morpher was given to you. You stumbled upon your second one, and recruited for the others! Kaylee, you weren't born great and you didn't achieve... it's been handed to you, whether you like it or not."

"K..."

"That's why I know you can do it," Rebecca smiled, "You've come way too far to give up now! There's nothing you can't do! You're the Great Kaylee Ann Hanson! Legendary Green Female Power Ranger and a damn good singer! You can't give up!"

Rebecca stood up.

"This city needs you now more than ever, and the Kaylee I know wouldn't run away because she was too afraid she was going to fail. You've got a team of friends and a huge family to support you. So you've lost some people on the way, it's all a part of the journey. No battle's been fought without any victims. We learn from experience and from our mistakes. Don't let those people die in vain."

The young doctor offered a hand to help Kaylee up.

"Are you with me?" she asked. Kaylee looked up and nodded, taking the doctor's hand.

"Let's save this city," she smiled, getting to her feet.

-----RPM-----

"How's the press coming along?" Greg asked the following morning, coming out of the bed chamber after a good night's sleep. He knew he wouldn't be able to get anything done if he was tired.

Gem and Gemma on the other hand pulled on all nighter. After Greg came up with the blue prints and explained how they could assemble the food press, the two found a new energy (caution: danger) and couldn't fall asleep. They had to get to work and they had to finish it.

"Great! We just need one thing!" Gem smiled.

"What's that?" Greg asked. Gemma pulled the little device out from behind her back and smiled.

"We need a super awesome name!" she beamed. Greg laughed, taking the machine from Gemma. He stared in awe.

"How about... the Foodinator?" Greg chuckled.

"Ooh, that sounds..."

"... awesome!"

"But we were thinking..."

"... of maybe calling it..."

"... The Food Boomer!" the twins shouted at the same time, high-fiving.

"Um, why boomer?"

"Cause we can nickname it the Boom," Gem shrugged happily, turning to his sister so she could finish.

"And we planted a little device in the tip that will make a booming noise when food is copied!"

"It's going to be awesome!" the twins exclaimed, high-fiving again. Greg smiled, handling the Food Boomer.

"Does it work?" he asked. "Have you tested it?"

"No... not..."

"... yet," Gemma sighed, turning to her brother.

"Good," Greg smirked. He was confident his technology and the twin's assembly was going to work, so confident, he was willing to test it in front of the entire city. "We've got a city assembly to call."

-----RPM-----

"Alright, Rangers, are you guys ready?" Scott asked, putting his morpher away neatly.

"Hungry... but ready," Mike nodded.

"You all know what you have to do?" Scott looked to the teenagers before him with a smile. They all nodded, except for Samantha. She was busy searching for two important members of the team.

"Um, before bed last night, did anyone tell Flynn and Hayden our plan?" she asked.

"I knew I forgot something!" Ziggy groaned. His shoulders dropped as he moved to the stairs. "Be right back, guys..."

The others chuckled, watching Ziggy disappear into the bedroom. They heard mumbling, which was Ziggy explaining the plan, then smiled when the three walked out.

"Hey, it's fainterella!" Dillon smirked, seeing Hayden for the first time since she passed out. "How's the head?"

"Drugged on pills," Hayden chuckled.

"And the stomach?" Samantha asked.

"As full as it's going to get... mid famine," Hayden laughed. She looked at Flynn who nodded happily in her direction. Scott smiled at the team.

"C'mon guys. Until that food press is made we're the..."

"_Helloo!"_

"_Is anyone there?"_

Scott heard the familiar voices of the Boom-Twins on the morphers and chuckled.

"Hey guys, we're all here," he said, "Well... all the Rangers and Sam."

"_Becca and I are here too,"_ Kaylee's voice came.

"_Perfect,"_ the twins said. "_Because we have a surprise that will..."_

"_... knock your socks off!"_

Hayden and Daniela looked down at their feet. Samantha rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Go on," she told the twins.

"_The Food Boomer..."_

"_... is done!"_

"_The what?"_ Kaylee asked.

"_Corinth's solution to world hunger!"_ Greg spoke, taking the communicator from the twins. _"Gem and Gemma worked all night and got my ideas up and running. We're on our way to the_ center_ of the city to test it now!"_

"Yes!" the Rangers cheered.

"_I'll assemble the city, then," _Kaylee exclaimed. _"Over and out!"_

"_We've gotta get this bad boy to the assembly,"_ Greg said, "_Over and out!"_

"And we've got an assembly to watch," Scott smiled, shutting off his morpher and looking at the team.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee walked through the crowd of hungry citizens, making her way to the podium where Greg, Gem and Gemma were standing with the Food Boomer in their hands. She could see the excitement on their faces as they prepared to test it out.

The forty-year old world leader walked to the microphone, turning it on.

"People of Corinth city," she started, hushing the crowd, "I know it's been a difficult week. We've been living on the brink of death for some time now, and we're all scared. Since day one a team of very intelligent teenagers have been working on a machine that should help us with this famine... we're all here now to see if it's going to work."

Kaylee turned to the Boom Twins with a smile. They waved, showing off their machine. Kaylee laughed, rolling her eyes before turning back to the crowd. She could see the anxiety in everyone's eyes as Gem pulled an apple from his jacket and placed it on the ground. Greg walked to the podium.

"If this works," he smiled, "My friend Gem should be able to duplicate this apple exactly. This means that there will be no more famine, because we can create food in an instant. No need for planting and waiting full seasons."

Gem turned on the machine. A soft purring noise made him smile. He looked at his sister, who was giving him an excited thumbs up.

Kaylee bit her lower lip nervously as she watched Gem take aim. Time slowed for her as his finger moved to the trigger. Just as he shot, she closed her eyes.

A loud boom echoed through the dome and Kaylee heard the twins cheering. She opened her eyes with a smile.

"Did it work?" she asked.

Suddenly, before the smoke cleared, Kaylee heard the cheering die as something wet hit her face. She wiped it off and licked it.

"Apple sauce?" she asked. Her eyes widened as the smoke cleared and she saw what the machine had done.

"They blew up the apple!" a woman yelled, pointing to the Twins and Greg. "Food is precious, and these kids are having fun destroying it!"

"GET THEM!" the angry mob of people screamed, throwing themselves on the stage. One man grabbed the food press and held it over his head.

"Worthless piece of shit!" he screamed, throwing the press down. Kaylee dove for the machine, catching it in her arms. The Rangers jumped into action as well, forcing the angry people off the stage.

"Everyone stop!" Kaylee screamed, her voice reaching the microphone and causing it to echo loudly through the city. "What the hell are we doing?"

"Fighting for our lives!" a man yelled. Kaylee growled. She shoved the food machine in Gemma's arms and jumped off the stage, into the pit of people.

"Fighting for your lives?" she asked, glaring at the person who spoke. "Is that what you guys call murder? We're a city; we're supposed to work together in times like this!"

"Who are you to talk?" a woman frowned, shoving Kaylee, "You had a breakdown in the middle of this mess. You're not a leader, you're worthless."

Kaylee shook her head, catching a glimpse of Rebecca. She smiled at the doc and nodded before turning back to the people.

"Am I really?" she asked. "Who the hell has been breaking their back trying to save you guys? When fights broke out I tried to stop them and deal with them fairly! I'll admit, I haven't been doing a great job in your eyes, but none of you have made this easy for me!"

Kaylee hopped back up on the stage, glaring at everyone, "When I announced the famine, I told you guys to work together! We all needed to be a team! What happens as soon as I turn my back? You guys started beating the other person... and for what? A can of peas! Sure, not it's important, but is it worth taking a life?"

Kaylee took a deep breath. She spotted Dustin, Tori, Kelly, RJ and Ronny in the crowd. They smiled weakly at her. From the stage, Kaylee could see scars from their attempts to break up some dangerous fights.

"I broke down... I cried... I gave up," Kaylee announced. "For a while, I didn't think I was going to do this. But that only made me stronger. I had sunk so low, there was no place to go but up. After all, I am only human, just like the rest of you. I do make mistakes and I do break. I'm no God. With a little help from my friends and family though, I bounced back. And now, here I am, standing before all of you, telling you all how stupid you guys... and I have been."

Kaylee grabbed Gem, Gemma and Greg gently, pulling them to the front of the stage.

"So they failed, who cares! If we make it out of this famine alive, I'm going to look at these three as heroes. In this entire city, they've been the only ones to search for a solution. They tried, and no one else can say that!"

Kaylee pointed to her family in the audience, "And while these heroes were trying, six other people were trying to keep the peace, and look at what you've done to them!"

Kaylee didn't see a single eye turn to the former Rangers. She raised her voice, "Look at them!"

The city turned to Dustin, Tori, Blake, Kelly, RJ and Ronny.

"These guys look like they took a walk through World Wars I & II because of all of you. They just wanted to help you... help me, and now I've got to find them a doctor for the scars you've all given them!"

Kaylee lowered her voice, taking another deep breath as a tear ran down her cheek, "We all make mistakes... you... them... me. But how we deal with our mistakes... that's what's going to pull us out of this. I can't save the city on my own... Greg, Gem and Gemma... they can't save the city by themselves. No one can. Everyone's got to do their part. I'm not asking you guys to work day and night inventing a machine. All I'm asking is for patience. I know you're all scared, but... if you guys will just calm down and help each other, we'll end this famine a lot faster. I'm not happy with what's happened, but I know we can all do our part. Aside from NewTech city, we're all that's left. We've been fighting Venjix for a while now, it would be pathetic if our friends in NewTech remember us as the city that fought Venjix, but died of hunger. We're better than that... We're the last stand."

Kaylee turned off her microphone and dropped it on the ground. She pulled the Twins and Greg along with her as she walked away.

"C'mon... we're going to fix this machine," she told them.

As she stepped off the stage, one man clapped his hands together slowly. In an instant, several other people joined him. Before Kaylee was gone, the whole city was clapping and cheering.

Hayden smiled, clapping with the city as she watched her mother, her hero, walk away and make history.

Suddenly, she heard a faint beep coming from the stage. She ran over to the source, finding a small computer. She read what was on the screen.

_Famine: Day Eight._

_Deaths: 296._

_Chances of Survival: Great._

Hayden held the computer tight, turning to the crowd of people, still clapping for her mother. The rest of the Rangers joined her on stage.

"Looks like we've got nothing to worry about," Scott smiled. Hayden looked at him and nodded.

"Nothing... except a huge ass famine still sweeping the city."

"Minor details," Dani laughed, waving it off. "We'll figure it out. We've got the entire city behind us."

Rebecca shook her head, hopping up on stage, "No, we're all behind our Great Leader."


	12. Belief

Summer had been in NewTech city for a week now, living with her family and the SPD team. As happy as she was to be with her mother, father and sister, she felt guilty.

Summer's family was from NewTech. Kira, Conner and Sam were citizens there. Summer was supposed to be as well, but she had never really gone into the city. She was a Corinth girl at heart. Even though she was spared from the famine in her hometown, Summer was starting to question her decision to do as her mother told her. She was starting to think she should have stayed behind. After all, her duty was to protect Corinth.

After dinner, Summer snuck out of the SPD base to take a walk. She needed to clear her head. She pulled out her morpher and looked at the screen, trying to find her friends' signals.

But with the city shields raised at full power, there was no way for anyone to contact Corinth. Not even the morpher was strong enough to break the shields.

Summer started to worry. If the shields were raised, that meant that something happened to force the Colonel, or Kaylee to make the decision. Something bad must have happened in Corinth... what if the Rangers had starved and couldn't make it out of bed? If that happened, Venjix would surely try to take over. The only thing stopping him would be the shields.

"Damn it!" Summer yelled, throwing her morpher. "I let them down...."

"Ow..." a voice whined and Summer saw her sister stepping out of the shadows. "RPM morphers are so much heavy than the SPD ones."

"Sammy, I told you, I want to be alone," Summer frowned. She took her morpher back from her sister and turned away.

"Yeah, I'm going to let that happen," Samantha rolled her eyes and laughed, "Ever since Corinth raised the shields, Venjix has been sending everything to NewTech. Scanners were picking up a signal from Tenaya Seven, and I thought you could help us with her."

"Tenaya's in the city?" Summer frowned, turning back to her older sister. "Why?"

"Well, she can't get into Corinth... might as well take out what she can."

"True," a familiar voice said, turning the twins' attention to a figure in the shadows. The figure stepped out with a smirk on her face.

"Tenaya..." Summer growled, clutching her morpher.

"Taking out NewTech should be fun," Tenaya smiled, "But I also picked up a transmission from your dear Aunt, asking your mother for help because of a famine? Is that true?"

"Shut up, Tenaya," Summer frowned. Tenaya laughed.

"So, your city is starving to death, and you're over here? What did you eat for dinner tonight, Yellow Ranger?"

Summer felt like someone punched her in the gut. Tears were threatening to spill. Tenaya couldn't help but noticed and her smile widened.

"Anyways, the transmission also leaked information that there was one RPM Ranger in this city. And seeing as I can't get into Corinth, I might as well take you out."

"Think again, Tenaya," Samantha frowned, stepping in front of her sister. "SPD, EMERGENCY!"

Samantha morphed and charged. She got a few shots in, almost taking Tenaya down, until the cyborg grabbed her arm, throwing her over her shoulder. Samantha landed on the ground, clutching her stomach.

Summer frowned and took her morpher.

"Hey, wrong twin," she said. "RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

Summer jumped into the battle, swinging her arm at Tenaya. The villainess ducked under it, but Summer persisted. She jumped in the air, kicking her feet out and hitting Tenaya in the chest. The black haired girl stumbled backwards, trying to recompose herself.

Summer wasn't going to allow it. She thrust her body forward, opening her mouth for a sonic scream. Tenaya covered her ears as the waves sent her flying back into the wall of a building.

"Zip charger!" Summer yelled, throwing her charger at the enemy. Tenaya ducked, and the shot hit the building behind her. The whole wall fell on top Teneya, burying her under the debris.

"Guys!" the red SPD Ranger called, joining the two girls. A Crimson ranger ran over to Samantha to help her up, while the Red and Blue Rangers stood behind Summer.

"Are you okay?" Blue asked. Summer nodded.

"Help me!" Tenaya called desperately from under the debris, catching Summer's ear. Just as Red and Blue were going to pull her away, Summer stepped forward.

"Help me!" Tenaya called again, finally looking over at Summer.

"You're... you're hurt..."

"Summer!" Nova frowned, watching as her cousin powered down to look at Tenaya. "Are you stupid?"

"Human compassion," Tenaya smirked, looking up at Summer as she grabbed a piece of the debris, "It's a weakness!"

Tenaya threw the debris that was pinning her down, almost hitting Summer. The yellow RPM girl jumped out of the way and landed on the ground. Tenaya walked over to her, grabbing her wrist and twisting it. Summer whimpered in pain, but caught sight of something.

Tenaya's leg was torn open, revealing a deep wound. But inside was nothing but robotics. Summer didn't mind that.

On Tenaya's shoulder, the suit had been ripped, allowing Summer to spot an injury... a human injury. It was nothing fatal, but it had been enough to cause Tenaya to bleed.

Tenaya couldn't see it, because it was out of view for her.

"You see, human, when I get damaged, it's just a simple repair," Tenaya said, forcing Summer to look at her leg. "But when you get damaged... you humans bleed."

Tenaya picked Summer up, throwing her through the air as she took off. Summer landed roughly on her side, and the SPD team was about to come help her, but she got to her feet.

"Tenaya!" she yelled, running after the attack bot. Samantha and the Green Ranger grabbed Summer's arms, holding her back. Summer squirmed, trying to break free.

"Let me go!" she screamed, "Tenaya's bleeding!"

"So?" Summer asked, grabbing both arms and turning her little sister to face her. "Everyone bleeds!"

"Not robots," Summer shook her head. "If Tenaya's supposed to be a cyborg, then she wouldn't be bleeding! She's a hybrid!"

Summer pulled free, running after the attack bot. In record time she made it to NewTech's city limits just as the doors were coming down. She jumped under, diving into the wastelands.

"TENAYA!" she yelled.

-----RPM-----

"What do you think it needs?" Kaylee asked the three soups, placing the food press on the table so they could work on it.

"I don't know," Greg frowned, running his hand through his hair. The other Rangers ran in, joining their friends around the table.

"It's need to be reprogrammed to unleash a smaller energy charge," Dani stated, picking up the machine. "It's too powerful."

"It's too powerful?" Scott frowned.

"There are some advantages to being a speedster," Dani grinned, "It happened too fast for you guys to see, but it did make a copy of that apple."

"So it worked?" Gem cheered.

"Yeah... until both apples blew up on Aunt Kaylee," Daniela laughed. "That's what you guys saw. Boom!"

"It was a cool boom," Gemma grinned.

"Flynn, think you can help me reprogram the engine to tune it down a notch?" Daniela asked.

"Always ready to help," Flynn nodded, helping Daniela to carry the Food Boomer into the lab.

-----RPM-----

Summer grew tired, resting on a rock for a break, but she continued to scan her surroundings for Tenaya. She suddenly heard the familiar whistling noise that Tenaya usually sang before attacking her prey. Summer stood up, keeping her back to the noise.

"Glad I didn't have to go too far to find you," she smirked, letting Tenaya know she wasn't sneaky. Summer turned around slowly, spotting the wound that had yet to heal, or stop bleeding.

"What do you want, human?" Tenaya asked, preparing her blaster. Summer smirked.

"You're a hybrid," she said, "Venjix turned you into one. You're not a machine with human parts; you're a human with mechanical implants."

"Newsflash," Tenaya yelled, "I'm Generation Seven, robotic technology!"

"Implanted inside who you used to be," Summer pressed. Tenaya growled, lifting her hand up, pointing her blaster at Summer.

"Then what is this?" she asked, firing the blaster. Summer jumped out of the way and rolled to Tenaya, taking her feet out from under her. Summer pinned the girl down and touched her shoulder.

"You're bleeding," she said, "You told me robots don't bleed."

"It's your own blood!" Tenaya yelled, grabbing Summer's hand and wiping the blood away, but there was no wound. Summer had no injuries, so the blood couldn't be coming from her. "Why do you care?" Tenaya asked the yellow Ranger. Summer got off the hybrid and shrugged.

"To be honest, I don't know... something about a hybrid seems to attract me," she smirked. "I helped Dillon... I can help you."

"Why would you want to help me?" Tenaya growled, touching her shoulder, "I tried to steal your boyfriend, remember?"

"It was Venjix' orders, wasn't it?" Summer said, "You wouldn't have done it if he didn't tell you."

"Look, Yellow Ranger, whatever I am, I'm loyal to one person only, Venjix."

Venjix isn't a person," Summer said, touching Tenaya's arm. "He's a machine, and like all other machines he doesn't care about you. I bet you he would sacrifice your life in a heartbeat... or oil beat, if it meant furthering him."

Tenaya frowned, turning to run away. Summer followed her, keeping her distance, but staying close enough to keep an eye on her.

-----RPM-----

In the Venjix palace, Tenaya removed her glove and place her hand on a scanner that Venjix used on all humans before sending them to the factories. It contained the DNA of everyone who ever crossed Venjix. If Summer was right, and Tenaya was human, hers would be in there as well.

"_DNA match confirmed. Sample is from subject D45. Tenaya Seven."_

On the screen, Tenaya saw a picture of herself in the prisoner's gown. She couldn't remember any of this, but if the machine said she was human... it had to be right. After all, robots didn't bleed, and they didn't have DNA.

"I won't miss you when you're gone," Tenaya heard Kilobyte, the newly recruited General in Venjix' army laughed, walking over to Tenaya. Kilobyte was actually one of the first Attack Bot created, with advanced technology, probably rivalling Tenaya's. His strong, dominant personality and Tenaya's independent and driven nature didn't work together well, and the two were in constant competition for Venjix' good side.

"Who says I'm going anywhere?" Tenaya asked the bot, glaring at him. She lowered her visor to hide the tears forming in her eyes.

"It's inevitable," Kilobyte shrugged, as if it were obvious, "You know you're not really one of us. You'll never be able to fit in anymore because of your... differences. You might as well go off with the Rangers. Venjix will probably destroy you in the end either way."

"I refuse to be human!" Tenaya barked, turning to Kilobyte with an angry stare, "I have come too far, and fought too hard for a Venjix Triumph. I will prove to you all that I can be just as nasty... human or not."

Summer was just around the corner, listening to the conversation. She sighed, turning to run before she was spotted.

Somehow, she had to get inside Corinth. Maybe there she could draw Tenaya in and show her who she truly was.

Just before leaving, Summer stopped in the control room, where the Venjix tube stood. It was facing away from her at the moment, giving her time to run to the main control board and download all of Tenaya's background information. She smiled, happy to be able to help someone else, until she stumbled upon the button that would take her to Dillon's page.

This held everything he wanted to know about what happened to him between his abduction and when he woke up in the wastes. It was the only part of his past he was missing. She was about to download the information into her morpher, when the Venjix eye turned.

"Well, well," he said, spotting the yellow Ranger, "Look who we have here. Did our sensors not detect you?"

The giant claw moved down into a pit and pulled out a monster. Summer watched it fearfully as it was activated.

"You might want to run, Ranger," Venjix taunted. Summer didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed her morpher from the control before the download was complete and took off for the doors, with the attack bot hot on her trail.

-----RPM-----

"Test number 12... failed," Daniela sighed, dropping the apple bit from her hand as she turned to Flynn. After twelve attempts at trying to balance power and duplication, they came up with nothing.

"It's impossible," Flynn groaned, hitting the machine. "There's nothing we can do. Either the apple blows up, or nothing happens!"

"Maybe this whole thing is hopeless," Scott breathed, sinking into the couch. The others looked at him sadly. He frowned, "What? I know we're all thinking it! Our one hope of getting out of this mess, and it doesn't work!"

"Maybe we just need something harder?" Ziggy suggested, "Something that won't blow up!"

"Like what?" Greg asked.

"What if we set it on a higher degree?" Hayden suggested. "I mean, it can blow up two apples, but what would happen if we were to, I don't know, duplicate twenty apples? How many would blow up then?"

"Where the hell are we going to get twenty apples?" Mike frowned, looking at his cousin. "We're mid famine!"

"You're such a downer," Hayden smirked, running to the storage room. "When I wasn't eating, I was giving you guys food. You haven't eaten it yet, so it's extra!"

Hayden came out with a handful of fruits. She dropped them on the counter, in a group and took the machine from Daniela and Flynn.

"This is what I'm thinking," Hayden smirked, "The machine is set to make one copy, because it's only a test. What if we set it to make... ten copies... of everything here?"

"You would have a shitload of sauce?" Dillon laughed.

"And that is the worst case scenario. If this doesn't work..." Hayden walked over to the Boom Twin's work station, grabbing a large indestructible glass box. She put the box on the counter, then dropped all the fruit into the box. "... we'll have a lot of sauce, from the different fruits! It's not solid food, but it's going to be sauce from two hundred fruits! It'll have all the nutrients and energy. We eat it, build up our strength then go back to the old Alphabet Soup ground and see if they might have something there to help us!"

"Hayden, you're a genius!" Greg smiled, jumping up from the couch.

"I'm an Aquarius... but okay," Hayden chuckled. She closed the lid on the box and placed the Food Boomer in the small hole that had been left for such events.

"Ready guys?" she asked the Rangers. Ziggy pulled out a spoon.

"Ready!" he smiled.

Hayden pulled the trigger and the box jumped from the force. She grinned, looking inside.

"Voila... apple, orange, grapefruit, peach, mango sauce," she laughed. Samantha rolled her eyes, handing everyone a bowl.

"There's not too much, but just enough to fill us up," she said, "Everyone, enjoy!"

-----RPM-----

Summer found her way to the Alphabet Soup grounds, ducking behind trees and jumping over roots, trying to lose the Heat-Bot chasing after her. She found the hole in the ground where the Paleozord surfaced from and jumped down.

The Heat-Bot lost sight of her and stopped running. He looked around for human life, finding none. He shrugged and turned back into the deserted part of the wastes.

Summer popped her head up from the hole and muttered, "Stupid bots."

-----RPM-----

Scott finished his bowl of sauce and leaned back in his seat, sighing contently. He wasn't full, but he wasn't starving.

"C'mon, guys," Mike called, putting his bowl on the coffee table, "Let's go before this energy crashes."

"We have to lower the shields," Flynn reminded the D-Green Ranger.

Scott nodded, "Leave it to me," he said. Brining up his morpher, he called his father, "Dad, lower the shields. We're going out!"

"_Are you crazy, son? Without food you'll never make it in the wastes!"_

"Trust me, dad, the Rangers and I don't have to worry about that."

_The shields are still programmed to run for another couple of weeks, it would take some time to lower them."_

"Well, you've got ten minutes," Scott smirked, hopping into his car, "And counting."

"Set up communications, Colonel," Hayden ordered, "We need to alert Summer about this plan!"

"_Setting up communications will divert power away from the shields."_

"Which we're trying to lower anyway," Hayden smirked, "Just, do as I say."

In the command center, the Colonel nodded, switching on communications with anything outside the dome, including NewTech city and Summer's morpher.

Back at the garage, Hayden called for Summer.

"Sum, can you hear me?"

-----RPM-----

Summer pulled herself out of the hole just as her cousin's voice rang over the morpher. She frowned, picking it up.

"Hayden, is that you?" she asked.

"_Nope, it's Santa Clause. Ho-Ho-Ho."_

"I thought the shields were raised and powered?" Summer frowned, "What's happening?"

"_Where are you right now?"_

"Um, Alphabet Soup HQ, why?" Summer answered. She heard a surprise gasp from Hayden, and a low growl from Dillon.

"_What the hell are you doing in the wastes, Summer?"_ Dillon asked her. Summer bit her lower lip.

"I'll explain later," she said.

"_Sounds good,"_ Hayden laughed, _"But you're exactly where we need to be. Summer, do you see any working technology?"_

Summer frowned, looking down in the pit. Everything must have been destroyed when the Paleozord surfaced.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked.

"_No. Gem, Gemma and Greg built a machine that's supposed to duplicate food. If it works, the famine will be over! But as it turns out, it's too strong, and right after duplicating, the food explodes. We need to find an engine less powerful."_

"Something less powerful... that's a change in plot," Summer laughed. "I'll see what I can do. You guys have to stay inside the dome and guard it though. Venjix sent an attack bot after me and he's gone. I think he's heading right for you."

"_Got it,"_ Scott answered. _"Summer, be careful."_

"_We'll talk later, Sunshine,"_ Dillon finished, using a tone that informed Summer he was not happy that she was in the wastes. If he knew she was in the wastes, looking for Tenaya, he would blow his top.

She put her morpher away and jumped back into the hole. She pulled off debris, searching in and around everything she could find for something that could help her friends. It was the least she could do after leaving them to die alone.

"Well, well," Tenaya grinned, standing at the top of the hole with a smile on her face, "Seems the heat-bot isn't a very good seeker."

"Tenaya!" Summer frowned, turning around and spotting the hybrid. "Thank God."

"You're mistaken. My arrival, is your departure," Tenaya levelled the blaster at Summer's head. The yellow Ranger simply turned around, going back to her work.

Tenaya growled, jumping into the hole.

"Look," Summer started, "If you help me find a working engine, I'll go with you to the Venjix palace."

Tenaya stood in shock.

"This must be a trap," she said. Summer shook her head.

"No strings attached," Summer smirked, "You help me, and I help you. What better way to prove to me your a heartless machine than kidnapping me and handing me in to Venjix?"

Tenaya lowered the blaster, eyeing the Ranger suspiciously. "Won't your friends come after you?"

"No," Summer shook her head, "Because they'll think I went with you."

Tenaya knew the yellow Ranger was playing a game, but she also had nothing to lose by taking her up on her offer. She opened her hand and pulled something out of her palm.

"Maybe this can help you," she said, handing Summer a chip. "It's a compressed engine. It allows my hand to function without my body."

Summer was beaming with joy as she took the chip, "I hope it'll do. Come on!"

"Where are you going?" Tenaya frowned, "I've helped you, now you've gotta come with me."

"I know," Summer nodded, "But first I've got to get the Rangers off your trail. I'll give them this chip, help them with their crisis. Then we'll tell them we've discovered your human side and you're going back to the palace to get information. I'll offer to go with you because I'll assume it's too dangerous for you to do alone."

"You're not lying to me, Ranger Yellow?" Tenaya asked. Summer nodded with a smile.

"Believe me, Tenaya, I'm not your enemy right now."

-----RPM-----

The Heat-Bot made its way into the city before the shields were raised and ran to the center. He aimed his heat blaster at a building and began heating the inside. The Rangers arrived on the scene and frowned.

"Hey, global warming is back," Hayden laughed, pointing to the monster. Mike just frowned, smacking the back of her head. "What?"

"It's the fuel depot," Scott pointed out, "But... it should be able to handle the heat, right?"

"Well, the middle exterior wouldn't melt until one million Calvin," Flynn nodded.

"Melting isn't necessary," Greg frowned, "Enough exposure would heat the metal and super heat the fuel inside, resulting in a catastrophic explosion."

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Daniela breathed, "Famine, Venjix attacks, global warming and fuel explosion? And we're expected to live?"

"Let's just finish this dude," Greg laughed, pulling out his cloud hatchet. Daniela nodded, following suit.

"Ice mode!" both called, sending a blast of ice the monster's way, freezing it. Ziggy hopped over to the giant frozen monster and pushed it over, smashing it into pieces.

"Well, that was easy," he laughed. As he turned back to the Rangers, he caught sight of Tenaya, glaring at his friends. His knees started to shake as he pointed to the villainess. "Um... guys... t-turn around."

"What now, Ziguardo?" Dillon asked, turning around. He spotted Tenaya as well and grinned, "Finally, a real fight."

"What do you want, Tenaya?" Scott yelled.

Summer stepped out behind Tenaya with a smile. The Ranger's helmet disappeared as they saw the yellow Ranger.

"Summer, what the hell are you doing?" Dillon asked her. Summer held up the chip Tenaya gave her.

"Just a little present," Summer smiled, tossing the chip to Greg. "I hope it works!"

The others smiled, looking at the chip and waiting for Greg to see if it would work. Dillon looked over at Summer. His girlfriend hadn't moved from Tenaya's side and seemed to be happy with her. It brought up memories... bad memories from when he was in the same position. Tenaya had fooled him into trusting her and he had done some terrible things to Summer.

Normally he would trust that Summer was strong enough to block out Tenaya, but he knew she had been alone in the wastes, and he knew that could make anyone do crazy things.

Tenaya must have gotten inside her head.

Before anyone could react, Dillon lunged at Tenaya, pushing her away from Summer and driving her into a wall.

"Dillon!" Summer yelled. "Stop it!"

Dillon ignored her cries, ramming his shoulder into Tenaya's chest. She doubled over in pain and Dillon picked her up. He turned around, spotting the bridge. With one powerful through, he tossed her over the railing. Tenaya reacted quickly enough to grab the wires that made up the railing.

"DILLON!" Summer yelled, looking at her boyfriend. Dillon looked back at her and smiled. Summer turned away, running to Tenaya and causing's Dillon's smile to drop. Summer looked over the edge and down at the ground below. The drop was too big for anyone to survive, even and Venjix attack bot.

"Take my hand!" Summer called to Tenaya, reaching her hand out for the hybrid to take. Tenaya looked up at the yellow Ranger with a scared and confused look.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked, "You'll just be captured!"

"Because you're human," Summer said, "You're just like Dillon. I can help you!"

"You're a strange one," Tenaya growled at the first wire snapped and she dropped a couple of inches before grabbing the others.

"I hated you because I thought you were a robot," Summer answered honestly. "I have a thing against robots, they took Dillon from me... but you're human!"

"I'm a Venjix attack bot!" Tenaya screamed.

"Take my hand and we'll see whose right!" Summer called, "The deal's still on. You can prove yourself to whoever you want. Me or Venjix."

"I'd rather not," Tenaya said. She looked down at the fall awaiting her and let go. Summer was shocked Tenaya would do that, but she needed to save the hybrid. Tenaya was a victim, and a human, no matter how much she denied it.

With one fateful leap, Summer hopped over the railing, plunging to her death in an attempt to catch up with Tenaya.

"SUMMER!" Dillon yelled, running to the railing where she had just dropped.

"Dillon, there's a way down!" Ziggy called, pointing to a long flight of stairs that lead to the ground below. Dillon didn't need to be told twice, running for the stairs.

In the air below, Summer dove down, catching up to Tenaya and grabbing her.

"Why are you following me?" Tenaya screamed, "Why do you care this much!"

"Because I do!" Summer frowned. "You're a human, Tenaya, like it or not. And I'm not about to watch you die!"

"You're are a weird one," Tenaya said. She looked down, seeing they were both close to the ground. "But... hold onto me and don't let go."

Tenaya wrapped one arm around Summer's waist as the blond grabbed the hybrid. With her free hand, Tenaya pulled out her laser and pointed it at the ground; she flipped over so she was between Summer and the ground. A few metres before hitting the earth, she shot. The force of the blow pushed the girls back in the air, giving Tenaya time to flip around and land on her feet. She smiled, happy to have survived, and looked at Summer.

The poor blonde must have been scared when Tenaya shot the ground because her eyes were screwed shut and her head was buried in Tenaya's shoulder.

"I didn't kill you, Yellow Ranger," Tenaya laughed, pushing Summer away. "I saved you."

"Why?" Summer asked, "I didn't think I got through to you yet."

"You're insane, you know that, Yellow?" Tenaya smiled, "But I don't think Venjix would have jumped off a bridge and fallen to his death for me. The least I can do is let you walk away."

There was a ghost of a smile on Summer's face as she looked at Tenaya.

"Look, I know you don't believe me, Ten... but... I can show you what happened to you," Summer held up her morpher for Tenaya to see. "I have all the information downloaded in here. All I need is a computer to show you."

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Tenaya asked. "Get me to watch the tapes?"

"Actually, just as long as you believed me I was good," Summer laughed.

"Then why put yourself at risk and offer yourself to me as a prisoner?" Tenaya frowned. "You didn't know I was going to change my mind. You could have died."

"I guess I was hoping for a miracle," Summer smiled, "And, I know you're going to need to face Venjix. I'm not going to let you do that alone."

"Well, then, Yellow. We better go now before Venjix becomes suspicious. Thanks to Kilobyte he knows I'm aware of my human parts."

"What about the others?" Summer asked, "They probably think I'm dead... I should let them know..."

"There's no time to wait for them," Tenaya said. "And drop your morpher. He'll be able to pick up on the signal, especially if he's expecting someone."

Summer looked up at the bridge, far above her, and sighed. She pulled out her engine cell that contained all the information she needed and dropped her morpher at her feet.

-----RPM-----

Dillon and the other Rangers made it to the bottom, stopping in the spot where Tenaya shot the earth. The ground was blackened and still smoking.

"SUMMER!" Dillon screamed, looking around for her.

"Um... Dillon," Scott called, reaching over to pick something off the ground.

"No..." Mike frowned, spotting the item in his leader's hand. Scott showed Summer's morpher to Dillon, and the Black Ranger tensed up.

"Tenaya's going down," he growled.

"First we should get this chip back to the lab," Greg said, putting a hand on Dillon's shoulder. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm starving."

"And we'll need the energy if we're going to pound Tenaya into the ground," Flynn agreed.

"C'mon Dillon, you know it's for the best," Scott said, "We'll fix the machine, eat up, get energy, then save Summer, okay?"

"I can't leave her..."

"Summer's a big girl," Daniela assured the brooding bad boy, "If she's still alive... she'll be able to take care of herself. If not, then we're letting an entire city suffer."

"I really hate all of you right now," Dillon frowned.

The Rangers nodded, patting Dillon on the back as they turned back in the direction of the Garage. Dillon followed, but glanced back slightly at the spot where Summer should have landed.

"Where are you?" he muttered.


	13. Beyond a Doubt

Greg placed the chip Summer gave him in the spot where the original engine went. He held up the Food Boomer and aimed it at a banana.

"Uncle RJ would love this," Hayden commented. As Greg fired, everyone winced and turned away.

"Did it work?" Kaylee asked, waving away the smoke and finding two bananas sitting where there had only been one moments before. Kaylee stood in awe, with her jaw dropped on the floor. "It... it worked..."

Gem and Gemma high-fived, happy their new technology was a success. The rest of the Rangers cheered as well, giving each other hugs and bumping fists.

"Great," Dillon wasn't taking part in the celebration. As hungry as he was, he was worried about Summer. "Now can we go?"

Kaylee nodded, pulling out backpacks for each of the Rangers for their journey to rescue Summer.

"I hoped you guys were going to find the solution," she smiled, "And when I saw what happened on the bridge with Summer, I got these ready. Each bag is filled with all your favourite foods."

"That's a lot of food, mom," Hayden laughed, strapping her bag on her back.

"I don't want you guys coming back here without her," Kaylee said in a serious tone. "You guys have to bring Summer home."

"What about Tenaya?" Ziggy asked. "I heard Summer talking to her on the bridge. She thinks Tenaya is human."

"Play that part by ear," Kaylee ordered. She turned to Dillon for the next part, "Don't act out of anger."

"Too late for that," Dillon growled. Kaylee grabbed his arm, spinning him around and looking up at his brown eyes.

"I'm serious, Dillon. I've seen this happen before. Trust your instincts. Not your emotions."

"What are you going to do while we're out looking for Summer?" Scott asked the mentor. Kaylee turned to Samantha, Rebecca and the twins.

"We're going to try and find one of every item of food left on this planet," Kaylee smirked, "That way we can copy it all and start handing out the food by the time you guys get back."

"Awesome," Greg smiled, "I don't want to miss this assembly."

"You won't," Kaylee smirked eyeing Greg happily. "It can't happen without you."

-----RPM-----

Tenaya and Summer were keeping low to the ground, hiding behind a mound of sand as Grinders patrolled the area. When the Grinders passed, Tenaya lifted her head and looked at Summer.

"We have thirty seconds before the next patrol comes by," she said. "Ready?"

"I'm ready," Summer nodded. Tenaya hopped to her feet, taking the lead with Summer following behind her. They got inside the palace with ease, and found themselves walking down a long hallway. Summer looked down at the engine cell in her hand, taking her eyes off Tenaya for a brief moment. When she looked back up, Tenaya was gone.

"Ten?" she called, peeking around the corner to see if the girl had changed directions. Suddenly, Summer felt something grab her and cover her mouth with its hand.

Tenaya continued down the hall, making her way to the Control Room.

Before entering, Tenaya could hear Venjix discussing something with the two remaining generals.

"Shifter has betrayed me, and Tenaya Seven is gone. Kilobyte, I am appointing you to lead my armies to victory!"

Crunch stepped in desperately, "Wait! What about me? I have seniority!"

"Please be serious," Kilobyte laughed, shoving Crunch out of the way. He looked back at his master, "You won't regret it, your greatness!"

Tenaya stormed into the room, "Wanna bet?" she asked.

"Well, look who's back," Kilobyte smirked. Tenaya glared menacingly at her rival before moving her gaze to Venjix. "If you want talk, and no action, Kilobyte's your machine. But if you want results..."

Tenaya shifted her position, allowing Venjix to see down the hall, where Grinders were dragging Summer.

"You liar!" Summer yelled before disappearing.

"Put me in charge, and I'll get you all the Rangers," Tenaya grinned, turning back to Venjix.

"Excellent, Tenaya Seven," Venjix said.

-----RPM-----

"You know, I've never actually realised how juicy a pear can be," Ziggy beamed, taking another bite from his green pear. "Oh, how I've missed food."

"I am never taking a meal for granted again," Flynn agreed, hugging his backpack. Hayden looked over at him, shaking her head but wearing a smile on her face.

"Can we focus?" Dillon growled, keeping his eyes in on the ground for any sign of Summer. "Tenaya must have taken her back to the palace! If so then she doesn't have long."

"Look, Dillon, we're all worried about her," Scott assured the Black Ranger.

"Well then try showing it," Dillon frowned, "So far, it seems like Mike's the only one trying to help me out! The rest of you are too busy stuffing your faces to look for clues."

"We don't need clues," Hayden said, "I know where the palace is. You think Summer's there, then we go there."

"At least act like you give a damn about Summer," Dillon barked, speeding up his pace.

-----RPM-----

Tenaya found the cell Summer was being held in and opened it up. She knew cameras were watching her, and the cameras were linked to Venjix, so she had to make this look good.

"Give me the engine cell," she demanded, holding her hand out. Summer looked up at the girl.

"You lied to me," she frowned. "I thought you were changing."

"You don't get it, Yellow. I'm an attack bot. Always am, always will be."

"If that's what you think, then why do you want the Engine cell?" Summer asked, holding the little device up. Tenaya growled.

"I don't need you getting information on me."

"I'm locked up, without a computer," Summer said, "Whatever information on here is moot."

"Moot?" Tenaya frowned.

"Dr. K used that word once," Summer smirked. "Whatever's on my cell is irrelevant because I can't access it in here. And I highly doubt you're going to let me out."

Tenaya growled, charging at Summer. She grabbed the blonde's throat, pinning her against the wall.

"I need that cell," she whispered in Summer's ear. "I'm going to the mainframe to look up whatever information is on here. But because Venjix is watching I've gotta force it from you."

"You lied to me before..."

"I didn't lie," Tenaya frowned, "Just give me the damn cell!"

"No," Summer shook her head and crossed her arms.

"No?"

"No," Summer nodded. "I'm not giving you this cell and you can't make me."

Summer stuck her tongue out at the attack bot, angering Tenaya. The hybrid pulled away from Summer, allowing her to take off. Tenaya realised her mistake as soon as Summer escaped her cell and ran after the girl.

"Ranger yellow, get back here!" Tenaya yelled, following Summer. The yellow Ranger had no idea where she was running until she hit the right room. Inside there was only a giant computer.

Suddenly, Tenaya tackled her to the ground, pinning her down to try and get the cell. Summer held onto it tight as she looked around for cameras.

"Tenaya," she called when she didn't see any. "Ten, stop it! No one's watching!"

Tenaya stopped and looked around. Summer was right. She let the doors close before getting off her newest ally.

"Sorry... I got caught up," she said.

"It's alright," Summer wiped her jacket off and walked to the computer. Tenaya felt a little guilty. Summer had all this trust in her, and she had, in a way, betrayed her.

"Look, about the capture thing... I'm sorry. I had a plan and..."

"You're a villainess. It's got to be convincing," Summer smiled, "I got it as soon as you entered my cell. I saw your eyes stray to the cameras watching. I may be blonde, but I'm far from dumb."

Summer inserted the cell into the computer, bringing up Tenaya's files. Tenaya watched, reading her background.

"I... I was abducted?" she asked.

"Probably like Dillon," Summer nodded. "In the evacuation, you must have been a survivor."

"You were right about me all along, Ranger yellow... how did you know?"

Summer simply shrugged, "You told me humans bled. When I saw you bleeding I knew you had to be human... and something clicked."

"Clicked?" Tenaya asked.

Summer nodded, "That fateful day changed my entire life," Summer said. "I was in school with Mike and Dillon. It started off normal, until the bombs dropped. Mike managed to get out, but I got stuck. Suddenly, Grinders surrounded me and I had no way out, until Dillon showed up. He forced his way through to me and protected me. We both tried to get out, but we were still just kids. He sacrificed himself for me and I ran. The Grinders... the robots... they took him. For three years I thought he was dead, and memories of that day would haunt me. Every night in the first year, my father had to sleep with me and not mom, because I would freak out from nightmares. It was horrible. And, ever since that day, I've feared robots."

"You fear robots, yet you fight bravely against them?" Tenaya asked.

"I got over the fear... a little bit, before becoming a Ranger... but... even now that I've found Dillon and I can protect myself from the robots, that day still haunts me. You being a robot just made you an enemy. But... when I saw the blood... when I realised you were human... everything changed. You weren't the enemy anymore. You were a victim... you were like Dillon."

"So?" Tenaya asked, confused.

"So? That day Dillon almost died to save me. He put himself first and he lost everything! I could have stayed behind with him and helped him, but I panicked... I ran as soon as the coast was clear and I left him."

Those words were familiar to Tenaya because it had been what she told the yellow Ranger all those months ago when she tried to kidnap Dillon.

"Yellow... you can't do this to yourself," she said, "The Black Ranger doesn't care about that. He loves you..."

"How do you know?" Summer asked, holding back tears.

"Because... when we got into his head, Venjix and I, the strongest emotion and memory we had to overthrow was always of you," Tenaya smiled. "The Black Ranger would gladly give up his life to protect you. And I know that all the pain he's been through because you left him... it was worth it in his eyes because you're safe."

Summer smiled, reaching out and hugging Tenaya, "Thanks... it really means a lot to hear that."

"I knew something was up," Kilobyte's voice rang as the attack bot appeared behind the two girls. "A ranger without a morpher and without a scratched... it seemed too good to be true."

Kilobyte walked over to Summer, cupping her cheek, "Tell me, girl, were you brought here by force... or are you and Tenaya working together?"

"How dare you question my loyalty," Tenaya barked, throwing Kilobyte's hand off Summer and grabbing her arm roughly.

"After that hug, I'm begging to question everything about you."

-----RPM-----

"That is one huge mother fucking palace," Daniela remarked as the team of eight Rangers hid behind a mound of sand. Two Grinders on bikes passed by, running their patrol loyally.

"We should go before the next set shows up," Dillon said, jumping out from behind the sand and making his way to the door. Scott took a long breath, leading the team to follow Dillon.

"You think Venjix is just going to let us walk right into his palace?" Flynn asked the Black Ranger, stopping Dillon in his tracks. The Black Ranger turned around.

"He's right," he nodded. "Everyone keep your Engine cells, but drop your morphers."

"Drop our morphers?" Greg asked. "Dillon, the morphers hold all the ranger technology! We can't just drop them outside the Venjix palace."

"They don't work without the cells anyways," Dillon shrugged, "What does it matter?"

The others had to agreed, following Dillon's lead and removing the cells from their morphers.

"Hopefully Venjix hasn't picked up out signals already," Mike said.

"Hurry up, guys!" Hayden said, disappearing into a vent system. "It's the sneakiest way!"

-----RPM-----

"If you're so loyal, Tenaya, then tell me how you're going to lead the Venjix army now that Shifter is gone?" Kilobyte asked.

"My first order of business is to destroy Shifter," Tenaya grinned, raising and eyebrow at her rival.

"What about the Ranger?" Kilobyte asked.

"She's my prisoner, I'll do what I want with her," Tenaya said. "Got it?"

"Oh, I'm starting to get a lot of things," Kilobyte nodded, "And yet..."

There was a sudden scream that ripped through the air, causing Kilobyte to short circuit and Tenaya to cover her ears. Just as the machine, Tenaya turned to Summer.

"Ow," she frowned.

The surprises didn't stop there for Tenaya. Just when she thought she didn't have to worry about trouble, the Rangers dropped from the ceiling.

"What the hell?" she asked, looking up as they jumped, one by one, from an open vent. "Oh great."

Dillon made his way over to Tenaya, seeing her holding Summer.

"Let her go," he growled, fists clenched and muscles tensed. Tenaya obeyed, letting go of Summer's arm and stepping away. Dillon saw this as an opportunity and swung at her.

Summer jumped up, grabbing his arm before it connected with Tenaya's face.

"Don't hurt her," she whispered to him, putting herself between him and Tenaya. "She's with us."

"She is?"

"I am?"

Summer laughed, turning to Tenaya, "Yes, you are."

Tenaya nodded, standing tall, "I know what this looks like, Ranger Black, but..."

"But nothing!" Mike frowned, "Summer, Tenaya's the enemy! You can't trust her!"

"She's not the enemy," Summer assured her cousin, "She's human!"

"Not this again," Flynn sighed, "Lass, she's a robot bent on destroying humanity."

"Flynn, I was right last time," Summer said, looking at Dillon for a moment, then back at the blue Ranger. "I was right about Dillon! Why can't I be right about this?"

"Because, unlike Dillon Tenaya's never saved your ass!"

"The reason I'm still alive and unharmed after my fall is because of Tenaya!" Summer frowned. "She saved me then!"

"You're such a damsel," Hayden chuckled, earning odd looks. "Hey, I've pulled myself out of some situations... I'm not really... shut up!"

Flynn smiled, pulling Hayden in close.

"Why should we trust her?" Dillon asked his girlfriend, pointing to Tenaya.

"She gave me the engine that I gave you for the food copy machine thingy! She saved my life! She bled!"

"We all bleed!" Mike frowned.

"Robots don't," Tenaya shook her head. She lifted her leg and broke off a metal bar from the support beams attached from the floor to the ceiling. In a disgusting move, she impaled her leg with the beam. As she pulled the metal out, showing the robot parts Dillon raised his eyebrows, looking at Summer.

"See!" he said, "Machine!"

"Just like what you used to be," Summer smirked. "Watch."

Tenaya used that same bar to rip at the palm of her hand, drawing blood.

"Where there's machine, Tenaya can't bleed. Robots don't because they don't have a heart. Humans and hybrids do."

"Look, how about we figure this out later?" Scott asked as Kilobyte started to stir. "We should get back to the city."

"Sounds good," the Rangers nodded.

-----RPM-----

Upon entering the city, the Rangers saw a giant monster attacking. Suddenly, Samantha was thrown from the skies, landing in front of the Rangers and Tenaya.

"Sammy!" Hayden called, coming to her sister's side, "What's going on?"

"Shifter got into the city," Samantha said, holding her side. "You guys were gone. Someone had to stop it."

Samantha spotted Tenaya and frowned.

"What's she doing here?"

"Long story," Summer said.

Shifter has betrayed Venjix," Tenaya explained, looking up at the monster. "He designed a bot that worked with a key."

"Yeah, finished that off," Samantha nodded. "Being and Angel pays off. But then he powered up the monster with that stupid key and I don't have the power to stop it."

"I know what does," Summer smiled. "Hayden, can I borrow you engine cell?"

Hayden nodded, handing her cell and the dino gem to her cousin.

"Let's hope this works," Summer nodded as the three items came together to form the Paleozord cell. Summer placed in her morpher, which she and the others got back as soon as they left the palace.

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!" she called, morphing into her new suit. Much like Hayden's in had the teeth along the side, but hers were pink instead of yellow (duh). On her belt was a Dino whip. She snapped it, causing the Paleozord to surface. Summer transformed the Zord into its own Megazord to fight the attack-bot.

With the new Zord, she got a few good shots in, weakening the monster, but there was one blow that left its mark. Summer managed to deflect it, but the blast went right down and was aimed for Samantha.

Scott jumped in front of it. He saw the power of the key in the blast, and knew from Samantha's short explanation that the key was powerful. He didn't want to risk losing her and took the blast.

"Sorry Scott!" Summer frowned, as the smoke cleared. Scott was hurt, but he managed to get to his feet.

"I'm okay," he said through clenched teeth. "I've taken worst."

"_Rangers, you're back!"_ Dr. K called excitedly over the com-link.

"Yeah, what's up doc?" Flynn smiled.

"_In your absence, and for lack of something better to do aside from waiting for the ceremony to being, I began looking over the date for the Zords and if it's correct you should be able to combine all Zord in our arsenal."_

"Do you think it will work?" Summer asked from the cockpit of the Paleo.

"But I need my engine cell," Hayden frowned.

"Hey, if Dr. K says it's possible, I believe her," Ziggy smiled, throwing his hands in the air. "And what do we have to lose."

"_Hayden, I'm downloading an empty cell through Flynn's Zord. You should be able to fill it with the required information to power your Lion Zord."_

"AHA!" Hayden giggled, "You admit it looks like an animal."

"_Not the time,"_ Dr. K said. _"Zords are on their way!"_

The Rangers nodded, seeing the fleet of Zords speeding down the streets. The Rangers each jumped into their own Zords.

Flynn saw, in his Zord by the computers, was a little grey engine cell with no designated colour. He smiled.

"Hayden, I've got your cell. Processing information now!"

"_I'm downloading the codes to Scott,_" Dr. K informed the team.

"I got them," Scott nodded, tapping the codes into his Zord as Hayden jumped into hers.

"RPM ULTRAZORD!" the Rangers all called together as the Zords combined to form the biggest Megazord any of them, or even Kaylee, had ever seen.

"_That is a huge ass mother fucker,"_ Kaylee remarked, and Hayden could picture her mom's jealous and shocked expression.

"That is huge," Tenaya breathed from the ground, looking way up at the Megazord. She turned her look to the monster, who reached just over the halfway height of the Ultrazord. "Damn..."

She had to cover her eyes as the bot tried to blast the Megazord, but it didn't seem to take damage. Instead, it rolled right through the attack fearlessly. The bot pounded its chest before trying to beat the Megazord in the stomach. The giant Megazord simply swung his arm out, connecting with the bot's head and sending him sprawling on the ground.

In the Megazord, the Rangers were cheering at the power they now held, until Scott groaned, clutching his heart with his hand. Samantha could hear his painful cries over the communicator and frowned.

"Scott, are you okay?" she asked, voicing her concerns.

"I'm fine," Scott nodded, pushing back the pain. "Road attack!"

He pulled out the small wheel and threw it onto the battle field. The wheel transformed into its Zord mode, jumping right into a flying kick, keeping the monster on the ground.

"Skid mode!" Scott called out and the wheel was back in its regular state. It began spinning on the ground, staying immobile, until the Megazord kicked it forward. It drove right for the monster, connecting with it and causing it to explode.

Samantha cheered for the Rangers until she spotted the key from the attack bot fall to the ground and land around the corner from a building still intact. Ignoring Tenaya's presence, she ran off without alerting anyone to where she was headed. Just as she rounded the corner, she saw Shifter picking up the key.

"All is not lost!" Shifter grinned. "I will have the power of the key myself!"

Samantha's eyes widened as Shifter forced the key into his shoulder, causing him to transform into what Samantha could only assume was an upgrade of his previous self. She knew this had to be bad news.

She squinted her eyes, activating Angel powers she never thought she would have to use on a robot. As Shifter transformed, Samantha tried locating a spirit flowing through him. She figured using the attack bot's key would bless him with the monster's old energy.

She was right. Shifter was being powered by the remaining energy in the key, and now, he too had a spirit.

-----RPM-----

People were muttering as they found their seats in Corinth City's park. The sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing. Everyone had been called off work for the day.

After the battle, Kaylee went straight to calling a city wide assembly. The famine was over, and she was ready to share the news with everyone.

While Kaylee prepared herself for her speech, Summer was with the rest of the team, and Tenaya, discussing what happened out in the wastes.

"So, you're saying Tenaya's actually a human?" Flynn asked the blonde girl. Summer looked at Tenaya with a small smile while nodding.

"She can bleed. How many robots can do that?" Summer smirked.

"If you count oil, then all of them," Hayden pouted.

Tenaya looked at the team nervously, "I know I've done some pretty nasty things to you..."

"Pretty nasty?" Dillon questioned, "Try insanely hurtful and traumatic!"

"I didn't know who I was," Tenaya tried to reason. Dillon huffed.

"I didn't know who I was, that didn't mean I was a bad guy. I didn't try to kill someone, or wipe out the entire human race!"

"No... I think I can understand where she's coming from," Greg frowned, patting Dillon's shoulder to keep the bad boy calm. "Tenaya... you didn't know you were human, right?"

"I had no idea," Tenaya nodded, "I don't remember anything from my life before. My first memory is waking up after Venjix brought me to life. I was programmed to believe I was a computer... a machine! I thought I was a robot."

"Dillon, give her a chance," Summer begged, walking up to her boyfriend. Dillon looked down at her, grabbing her arms and pulling her in close.

"I did give her a chance once," he whispered in her ear. "I gave her and chance and it nearly costs me everything I loved! My friends, my only family... you."

"Things are different now," Summer told him.

"How do you know?" Dillon frowned, "You're not the perfect human being, Summer. You were right about her last time, but that doesn't make you right now."

"I trust her," Summer answered. Dillon growled muttering curse words under his breath. Summer felt him squeeze her arms.

"I'm not losing you," he said, "I'm not going through this again! I hurt you, Summer, I really hurt you!"

"It was the virus..."

"Screw that virus!" Dillon screamed, "Virus or not, I should have known better than to attack your sister! I should have known better than to trust the enemy! I made the mistake of trusting her, and I almost lost you because of it!"

"You're not going to lose me," Summer whispered, wrapping her arms around Dillon offering what little comfort she could. "I know what I'm doing, and I'm not going to risk myself..."

"You jumped off a bridge," Dillon said.

Summer looked up at him, "I know this is hard... but... you have to trust me. Tenaya's not the enemy anymore. She's human! You saw her bleed! You know robots don't bleed!"

"She's been aligned with Venjix..."

"Please, Dillon... last time you didn't trust me..."

"Last time was a mistake," Dillon turned away. Summer grabbed his face in her hand, turning it back so he could only look at her.

"Don't make that mistake again."

Summer made the face, the face Dillon could never resist. He took a deep breath, finally letting go.

"I don't trust her," he said, "But I'll trust you."

Summer smiled, "Thank you, Dillon."

"But I'm keeping my eyes on her at all times," Dillon growled, eyeing Tenaya already. She shifted nervously under his gaze, already feeling the tension. "I'm not leaving you alone with her."

"It's not planned," Hayden nodded, "Rules are the same as last time. Until we can all trust you, Tenaya, you're going to be under constant surveillance."

"Anything," Tenaya said. "I don't want to go back to Venjix."

Kaylee tapped the microphone, bringing everyone's attention to herself. The crowd shushed and the Rangers took their seat.

"Day eight of the famine," Kaylee started, "Eight long, frightful days. The eight days in history that have caused chaos, violence and destruction, have also brought out the best in humanity. Since I spoke with you guys last, I have seen a great change in this society. We're helping each other out and we're a lot more caring towards others. Generosity, compassion, understanding and duty have brought us together and have made our conclusion to the famine a very happy moment. I am very proud of this city, and it is with great honour that I declare the famine to be over!"

Kaylee paused, allowing the crowd to cheer. She laughed, looking over at Dustin in the group of people. He smiled up at her and gave her a small wave.

When the cheering started to die, Kaylee spoke once more.

"If I could, I would declare all of you heroes for the efforts you've shown me in the past twenty-four hours. But, there are some people who stand out from the crowd. There are some who deserve a little more reward than us, and I think you'll all agree when I present them with their medals."

Kaylee bent down, grabbing the Food Boomer. She lifted it high for everyone to see.

"Three of my Rangers designed and built this device," Kaylee stated. "Thanks to it, we will be able to replicate any item of food. As long as we have one sample, we won't have to every worry about running low. For safety reasons, the Food Boomer will remain in government hands, but we will be sure to provide grocery stores with food so the city can return to normal."

Kaylee handed the Boom to Colonel Truman. He shook her hand as he took it and smiled. While he walked off stage, Kaylee turned to Gem, Gemma and Greg and invited them up on stage.

"These three kids worked long and hard on the Food Boomer, as they like to call it, and they are the reason why we can all look forward to tomorrow. As I see it, they are all deserving of the medal of honour."

Hicks stepped up beside Kaylee, opening a small box and revealing four medals. Kaylee took the first one and stood before Gem. She placed the medal around his neck, and did the same for Gemma and Greg.

"Congrats, guys," she whispered to them as the city cheered, "You really are the heroes here."

The three teens got their fifteen minutes of fame as they turned to the city, accepting the warm encouragements, praises and thanks. The crowd did begin to settle after a while, so Kaylee continued.

"I also have one more medal I would like to give to a very special friend of mine," Kaylee said, picking up a shining gold medal. "I met my friend in one of the evacuations. She was just a small girl, lost and afraid. She's been put through so much considering how beautiful of a person she is. Everyday she's surprised me with a new breakthrough, whether it's personal or professional. During the famine, she surprised me with her bravery and calm attitude. When I was breaking down, maybe people tried to snap me out of it. As hard as they did try, something always came up that would knock me down again. Rebecca Kinsley was the one person who managed to pick me up and keep me on my feet. As important as it is for a city to work together in a crisis, I believe it's important for the leader to stay calm. After all, you all look up to me for guidance in these times. If it weren't for Becca, I don't think we would be where we are today."

Rebecca lowered her head. She knew Kaylee was singing her praises and thanking her for helping the city, but her words could also mean the dome. After all, if she never released Venjix, they wouldn't be trapped in the dome and there would be no famine.

"We are one city," Kaylee continued, turning to Dr. K. "And no matter what has happened in the past or what will happen in the future, we will always be a city, we will always be united."

Kaylee stepped down from the platform and approached Rebecca. As she placed the medal around the young girl's neck she whispered, "Don't stay in the past. What happened, happened. As much as I wish for my old life, I'm really beginning to love this one much more."

The medal was placed on Rebecca's neck and Kaylee kissed her cheek.

"We're all happy," she said. "And I'm sure, after letting out a bit of anger and repressed feelings, the city would understand why you did what you did, and the blame wouldn't be put on you, but rather the people who kidnapped you."

"I can't deal with it though," Rebecca frowned. Kaylee nodded, hugging her friend.

"That's why you're not going to have to," she smiled, "No one else will ever know. You can put it all behind you. Dr. K is gone."

Kaylee turned back to the microphone, taking it in her hand.

"For the next week we will be handing out food free of charge. I know you all want to stock up and eat until you explode, but for health and safety reasons we advise you to take it slow and don't forget, we should all still be sharing. No pushing or shoving or stealing or I will cancel this week of free groceries."

On that happy note, Kaylee bounced off the stage. The city was going to get their groceries, leaving the Rangers in peace.

"What about all the citizens in NewTech?" Samantha asked her mother, eager to see her daughter again. Kaylee smiled.

"I'm going to wait until after free week," Kaylee said, "I think it would be wiser to let everyone here enjoy the luxury of food."

When the park was clear of civilians, the soldiers began cleaning up all the chairs and garbage that had been left behind. They all noticed Tenaya from the corner of their eyes and were giving her dirty looks. Tenaya had expected it when she aligned herself with the Rangers, but she was still feeling very uncomfortable.

She stepped away, walking over to a big tree to hide. She feared she was going to be attacked at any moment. The only thing keeping her calm was knowing that Kaylee ordered the soldiers not to hurt her unless she tried something funny.

Summer saw Tenaya retreat and sighed softly. She kissed Dillon's cheek and motioned to the hybrid.

"I'm going to talk to her for a second," she whispered. Dillon nodded and Summer tried to walk off but stopped when she felt Dillon pull on her hand. She looked down at her hand, then up at Dillon.

"Sorry," Dillon laughed, letting go. He watched her carefully as she approached Tenaya, leaning against the tree before the villainess.

"Hey," Summer smiled, poking Tenaya's arm gently. Tenaya turned to her friend with a sad smile.

"Hey."

"You know, once the others trust you, we'll tell the city you're not a threat. Just... give it time," Summer assured the other girl. Tenaya nodded. Summer looked at the sad girl sympathetically, opening her mouth for more comforting words, until her eye caught something in the background.

Before Tenaya was even aware of danger, Summer threw her down to ground. Just as Tenaya was about to question the sudden assault, she saw a bright beam wrap itself around Summer's arms and wrists.

Kilobyte stepped out from behind a tree in the distance, resting a blaster on his shoulder as he laughed.

"This should be interesting," he said, pointing the gun at Tenaya and Summer.

Dillon was watching from his spot with the others and growled when he saw Kilobyte attack Summer. The others were alerted of the trouble when Dillon began to run. They immediately followed him, hoping to make it to the two girls in time.

Kilobyte turned his blaster on the rangers suddenly, shooting at them. Hayden picked up the pace, putting herself in front of the others, taking the blast herself. She flipped through the air and the Rangers were hit with the force of the impact. They all dropped to their knees.

Dillon looked up at the three as the smoke cleared. His fists were clenched and his muscles were tense as he saw Tenaya struggling to get to her feet and Summer and Kilobyte nowhere in sight.


	14. Emotional Troubles

"You!" Dillon yelled, getting to his feet and storming over to Tenaya. He grabbed her arm roughly and shoved her against the tree. "You did this! It was a trap!"

"It wasn't! I swear!" Tenaya cried, trying to pull away. For the first time in her life (that she remembered) she felt genuine fear. She couldn't go back to Venjix seeing as Kilobyte's shot was meant for her, meaning Venjix wanted her to come home (which was never a good thing), and none of the Rangers trusted her yet to believe she wasn't behind this. She was afraid that no one would hold Dillon back and keep him from destroying her. "I had no idea about this. You have to believe me!"

"Like I believed you last time?" Dillon growled, slamming Tenaya's back into the tree. She whimpered in pain, trying to push back the tears.

"I swear... I don't know what happened! I just know that the shot was meant for me," Tenaya said. "If I had any information, I swear I would tell you."

"You liar!" Mike screamed, joining the black Ranger. "You little bitch..."

"It wasn't me!" Tenaya cried. "Please, you have to believe me!"

Samantha stepped up, pulling both boys away from Tenaya. The hybrid felt a small sense of relief when Dillon let go, but she knew her problems were far from over.

"I think I have an idea," Samantha said, "But I can't guarantee perfection."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"I'm an Angel," Samantha smirked, "I can sense a lot of different things inside a person if I try. Emotions, thoughts, purity."

"Do you see dead people?" Dillon laughed. Samantha glared at him, smacking him upside the head.

"Focus, Dillon. This could save your girlfriend."

Dillon straightened up, glaring at Tenaya.

"If you pass this test, I'll think about trusting you again," he said. "You fail, and you're dead."

Tenaya gulped, feeling the pressure. She knew her intentions were true, but would she be able to pass the test?

-----RPM-----

"So, how is this going to work?" Scott asked, rubbing the spot above his heart. In the battle with the Paleo and the attack bot, he was hit by a strong beam and had been feeling the pain ever since. The burn mark was still on his skin, meaning he was in for a week of pain.

"Well," Samantha started as she looked around the garage for a small, empty room. "I'm going to need to be with two people: Tenaya and someone I can draw power from."

"Power as in superpower or as in energy?" Hayden asked her sister.

"Energy," Samantha answered, "But the person has to be strong and yet calm. If their emotions run out of check, say because they're angry, then it'll mess everything up."

"So you need someone who's neutral about this whole situation, and yet has power?" Flynn frowned, "Well, we're all concerned for Summer and no one here is trusting of Tenaya. How are you going to choose someone who doesn't give a damn about what's going on?"

"Scott?" Samantha turned to her boyfriend with a hopeful look.

"He's the most level-headed person you could think of?" Mike frowned. He leaned in closer to Samantha and whispered, "Have you not seen him act up when it comes to daddy?"

"He's the team leader," Samantha stated, "He knows how to stay calm in any situation, and he's the one person I know I can truly draw power from."

Scott smiled. He was glad to know Samantha trusted him this much and that she knew she could count on him no matter what. He nodded.

"I'll relax while you're in there," he said. "You won't have to worry about me."

"Good," Samantha smiled.

"So, what exactly are you going to do with me?" Tenaya asked nervously. Samantha turned to her.

"I'm going to get inside your head," she said, "I'm going to look at your thoughts and memories and the emotions your subconscious is tying to it. Those emotions will be the genuine ones and they will tell me if you're siding with us, or Venjix."

"And what if I fail?" Tenaya asked. Dillon cracked his knuckled and pointed daggers at the raven-haired girl.

"I'm going to enjoy a little revenge courtesy of Knuckle and Sandwich."

He lifted his left and right fists in the air. Tenaya knew that if he did come after her, she could take him, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to be trusted by the Rangers, because she truly wanted to side with them. Venjix lied to her and used her for his own gain, and she was sure he wasn't about to return the favour for her.

"Are you ready Tenaya?" Samantha asked, leading the girl into the laundry room. Tenaya followed, nodding slowly.

"I hope she fails," Dillon muttered, turning to the others while the three left the room. "I really need to kick some ass."

Inside the laundry room, Samantha kept the lights turned off so she could focus. Scott stood in a corner while Samantha and Tenaya stood in the middle. Tenaya was playing with her hands nervously. This felt like initiation into the Ranger team, and in a way, it was. If she passed, she could look forward to maybe joining forces with them. If she failed, she knew she was going to be subject to punishment.

"Close your eyes, Tenaya," Samantha ordered. Tenaya did as she was told. It felt odd to listen on first command. With Venjix, she was used to talking back and sarcasm before following orders. Now she was finding herself listening right away.

Of course, she was going to go back to who she really was, she couldn't deny that, but until she earned the Ranger's trust, she thought it best not to talk back or sass them.

Samantha reached out to Scott first, drawing energy from him. In the darkness of the room, Scott could see a faint red glow coming from his body and traveling to Samantha's. It was dancing around, much like the northern lights. It was very beautiful and the brightness seemed to be growing by the second. Never once though did the light become too blinding to watch.

Samantha could draw energy from the light, which impressed Scott greatly. The energy gave her the strength she needed to reach into Tenaya's mind.

A array of colours shot out from Tenaya, dancing around the room: pink, blue, green, yellow, black, red. They were all just as beautiful as the one streak coming from him.

"Whoa..." he breathed, marvelling the beauty. Even Tenaya opened her eyes and stared in wonder.

Samantha was sorting through the coloured lights. In everyone she saw different emotions. Pink held love, while blue was a feeling of bliss and simplicity. Green contained the emotion of happiness and yellow was excitable and alive.

Black and red were dark colours. Black was power and deception while red was violence and blood.

Samantha chose those ones first, touching the black light. Instantly the room returned to its dark state as a black light took over. The remainder of the colours were assembled together to create a picture.

In the picture, Tenaya stood looking up at the Venjix tube. The expression on her face was pure horror. She was standing, almost in the nude and surrounded by robots. Out of respect, Scott looked away. Samantha seemed intrigued thought, reaching out to touch the picture. It started to change, and Tenaya started to bleed heavily. The blinking Venjix light began flashing and a low laugh could be heard. In the background, Samantha could also hear the robots laughing and Tenaya's faint cries of horror. Samantha was just barely able to make out what the hybrid was chanting.

"_I'm human."_

Over and over again the thought was in Tenaya's head. She was human. Venjix had betrayed to her and thus, he had deceived her.

With a wave of her hand, Samantha pulled the black light away and the room was once again light with the beautiful dancing lights. Samantha looked at Tenaya for a moment and noticed her calm yet horrified look.

The Angel touched the red light, drawing another emotion. The room turned red as another picture appeared.

It was a battlefield, Tenaya stood in the middle. Defeated robots and dead human bodies were scattered on the ground. Samantha didn't know what to make of this image, and when she touched it, the picture of Tenaya would drop to her knees and sob.

But who was she sobbing for; the defeat of the robot empire, or the end of humanity? She couldn't figure this emotion out and needed to find another way.

Looking over at Tenaya, Samantha saw her reaching out to touch a figure in the picture. Her eyes were tearing up as she traced the face of the only human to ever show her forgiveness, the only human who had believed in her. Tenaya was looking at Summer and beginning to cry as she imagined the end of the world. Samantha smiled, pulling the emotion back.

Samantha had all the information she needed, but she wanted to be sure of her findings of Tenaya's true feelings. She didn't want any doubts. She decided to grab the blue light and look into what was home for Tenaya. She wanted to know where Tenaya felt safe and at peace.

As soon as the blue light took over, Samantha tried to find a picture to express Tenaya's thoughts and feelings, but she drew a blank. There was nowhere Tenaya felt safe.

"Why?" Samantha asked, touching Tenaya's hand. "Why is it empty?"

"I have no home," Tenaya answered, looking right into Samantha's eyes. She spoke truthfully and from the heart, "Venjix knows I don't trust him, and therefore wants me dead, and you guys don't trust me. Now... my only friend is gone. She's the one person who made me feel comfortable, and she's been taken away."

Trusting her word, Samantha let go of her hand. The colours returned, dancing around the room for a moment. Suddenly, all the colours from Tenaya disappeared, leaving only Scott's read beam.

Before the final light went out, Samantha smiled at Tenaya, "She's not your only friend. Not anymore."

The light returned to Scott, and the red Ranger rubbed his heart once more. It was beginning to burn.

In the darkness, he felt a hand touch his, breaking his concentration as the door opened and the light form the garage flooded in. Samantha walked out with Scott, Tenaya and a smile on her face.

"Tell me I have someone new to pound," Dillon said, pounding one fist into the palm of his other hand as he glared at Tenaya.

"Unfortunately..." Samantha paused to look at the faces of her friends and family. They were all eager to know if Tenaya was being honest, or if they were all being played once again. Samantha grinned, "Unfortunately, Dillon, Tenaya's telling the truth. She really does want to fight with us and overthrow Venjix."

Dillon growled. He was hoping Tenaya was really still a machine. That way he could beat the living hell out of her for all the pain she put him through.

"If you want to beat something, just use my sister," Samantha laughed, pointing to Hayden.

"You guys believe me now, right?" Tenaya asked. Scott was the first to nod. He had been in the room for the reading of thoughts and emotions and though he didn't quite understand what he had seen, he knew Tenaya wasn't lying when she said she was no longer aligned with Venjix.

"I believe you," he said.

"We all do," Flynn agreed, "To an extent. But it will still take time to really trust you."

"I can prove it to you guys," Tenaya exclaimed, "I can prove I'm loyal, I can show you guys that I'm truly sorry for what I've done."

"How?" Hayden asked sceptically. Tenaya beamed.

"I can get Summer back."

"NO!" Dillon yelled. "You're not going anywhere near her!"

"Dillon..." Hayden tried to reason, grabbing his arm. He pulled free from her, keeping his gaze on Tenaya.

"I don't want to hear it!" Dillon frowned. "I don't care how we get Summer back, as long as it's not Tenaya doing it!"

"Dillon, maybe Tenaya's onto something," Hayden suggested, turning Dillon away from Tenaya. "After all, she is the only one who really knows the Venjix palace."

"But she's the devil!" Dillon spat.

"She's our only hope," Scott reasoned. "If any of us go in there, we won't stand a chance. If we all try to go in, Venjix will detect our bio-signals long before we cross the barricades, never mind reach the palace. He's probably expecting us."

"I can do it on my own," Dillon muttered as he turned to his car. Hayden grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"No you can't, wolf-man," she said. "None of us can without being blown up to pieces!"

"Actually..." Dillon turned to Hayden with a grin, "Why don't you go?"

"I don't want to blow up," Hayden shook her head, "Then I gotta reassemble myself... it's not fun. Especially when you're missing one small piece and your body knows it's still around so it doesn't heal. Then you're walking around the city going, where the hell is my oesophagus?"

Dillon rolled his eyes, "I'll give you my oesophagus if you want. I'll do anything to get Summer back!"

"Except trust me?" Tenaya asked. "Your options are narrow, Ranger Black. Either you wait for Summer to come to the city and try to get through to her from there, or I go in now and try to rescue her."

"I'll wait. I'm not putting her life in her hands..."

"Alright, I'll guess you'll leave it in Venjix' hands then," Tenaya nodded, "That's totally cool, because, as you all know, Venjix is a kind and caring machine and wishes no harm upon humans. Especially Ranger humans."

Dillon growled, muttering under his breath.

"It's not ideal," Hayden said, "But it's all we got."

"It's stupid!" Dillon frowned.

"I know this is going to sound... insane," Tenaya started, "But I'm going back to Venjix."

"That's it!" Dillon yelled as his fists began to fly. Hayden pushed him back, keeping him away from Tenaya by mere inches.

"Feel free to help anytime," she called to the boys before Mike and Flynn jumped in, grabbing Dillon's arms and holding him back.

"I'm going back, and it'll look like I'm aligning myself with him, but I won't," Tenaya said. "I'll follow orders, but pull my punches. I'll work with Summer, but I'll also work on trying to get her back. Venjix will think I'm with him and he's got two dangerous puppets, but really, he'll have one and a spy."

"So, you're going to go back to Venjix, try and kick our asses again and take over the world, and just as a hobby you'll get the real Summer back?" Ziggy asked. Tenaya nodded and laughed.

"I guess you could say so," she said. "I'm aligned with you guys though, no matter what. Just think of it as... undercover work."

"But you're leaving," Dani spoke up for the first time. "We're now trusting you, and you're going back to Venjix. How do we know this isn't a part of your master plan?"

"It's not," Samantha assured the teens. "There's nothing left of Tenaya that wants her old life. She's with us."

"If you say so," Dani frowned, "I just think it's fishy and way too convenient for her."

"I have to agree with Dani," Greg nodded, "She gets in good with us and wants to leave."

"I don't see how we can lose," Ziggy pointed out. "I mean, Hayden said it before, we can't get into the palace without him knowing. It would be suicide. The only hope we have of getting Summer back is if she comes to the city. Whether Tenaya goes back with Venjix or not would be moot."

"Moot?" Tenaya frowned.

"Yeah, irrelevant," Ziggy nodded. "If you go and join Venjix and Summer becomes you times two, we still have to bring her back. If you go and try to help her, we bring her back, just a little faster."

"I got that part," Tenaya laughed, "But... moot?"

"Becca taught me that word," Ziggy grinned. "Why... did she lie to me about the definition? You know, that's something she would pull. She likes to mess with me."

"No," Tenaya smiled, "It's just... Summer used that word too."

"So it's agreed? Tenaya goes to get Summer?" Scott asked.

"No," Dillon frowned, but everyone else nodded. Apparently his voice counted for nothing.

"I should leave now," Tenaya said. "The longer I wait the more suspicious Venjix will get."

"Wait," Hayden said, running to the computers and grabbing a small chip. She placed the chip in the center of Tenaya's headpiece and grinned. It was small and barely visible. No one would know it was there unless they saw it was placed. "There, now we can watch what you're doing and if you're honest. If you are deceiving us, we'll know right from the start."

Hayden pulled a small device from her jacket and gave it to Dillon, "And, just to make sure you don't try something funny, Dillon gets to monitor you."

Tenaya nodded and turned to leave, but before taking a step she looked back at the others.

"Oh, by the way, Shifter's going to try and overrule Venjix. He may go after you guys in the meantime and he may go strong," she said. "Also, Venjix has a new General, Kilobyte. Nothing I can't handle, but even I will admit he's tough. Throw in Summer, the new me, and the real me and you guys are in for trouble. I would suggest finding a replacement until you get Summer back."

"You want us to get a new Ranger?" Greg asked. "But there are no more suits."

"Maybe not a new Ranger," Tenaya said, "But you'll need access to all your Zords and weapons... even Summer's."

Tenaya smiled one last time before leaving the base and the Rangers. Her words, however, stayed with Hayden as the brunette's hand traveled to the small chip Rebecca had given her as a temporary replacement for her own when the Paleo was in use.

"Hey, Greg... think you can download Summer's information into another blank cell?" she asked the genius.

"Possibly... why?" Greg frowned.

"I've got a brilliant idea," Hayden smirked, turning and leaving the garage with a bounce in her step.

The others were left to wonder what went on in her head when Kaylee suddenly popped her head around the corner.

"Sammy, Mike, want to come to the tunnel with me and Dustin?" she asked kindly.

"Um, why?" the two cousins frowned. Kaylee grinned.

"I've got enough food in this house to avoid shopping this week. I think our kids will be safe from extreme shopping spree."

"Our kids... Engel?" Samantha asked hopefully. Kaylee grinned.

"I figured I would bring them back early," she nodded, "Engel's just a baby and I'm worried the sudden and unexplained move will traumatize Christian. The faster we get them both home, the better off they'll be."

"The better off we'll all be," Mike smiled, "I miss that baby girl."

-----RPM-----

A car came out of the tunnel as the four parents waited eagerly for their child to hop out and run into their arms (or in Engel's case be placed in their arms).

Casey stopped the guard in the designated parking spot and stepped out. He opened the back door and Christian jumped out.

"Mommy, daddy!" the little boy cried, jumping into his parent's arms.

"Hey, buddy," Dustin smiled, tearing up. He knew his son was safe through the famine, but he had missed him terribly. Without Christian, he was in a house of women. Thank god PMS didn't hit.

Christian pulled away, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a folded piece of paper. Kaylee took it, opening it up.

"I made picture," he said. "Uncle Casey drawed the noses on mommy and Mayden and Dummer. I drawed daddy."

"Where's Sammy?" Dustin laughed, ruffling his son's hair. Christian frowned.

"I don't like Sammy," he pouted, hugging his father's leg. "She's a pooh head."

Kaylee smiled, kneeling down, "It's a very pretty picture, kiddo."

"I misses you, so Uncle Casey tolded me to drawed a picture so I can hang it up in my bedroom. I did and it maded me not miss you so much because I can sees you all!"

"Aww," Kaylee cooed, hugging the three year old, "I love you, Christian."

"I love mommy and daddy," he said, hugging his mother.

Lily unbuckled Engel from her car seat and carried the nine month old child to her mother and father. Samantha and Mike couldn't believe how big Engel had gotten in a few short months.

Engel's smile widened as she saw her parents. Lily laughed and held the giggling child as Engel kicked her feet, ready to show her parents what she had learned.

Lily put Engel on the ground, on her stomach. Samantha went to pick her up, but Mike held her back. He knelt down and called to his daughter sweetly.

"Engel, come on, baby girl, come see daddy."

Engel pushed her body up, which was nothing new for the parents so far. She had been holding herself up like that for a while now. Her legs, however, were really getting into position. Suddenly, she was on her hands and knees and crawling to her father.

Samantha was almost in tears as she gasped and dropped to her knees. Engel crawled over to her parents with a bright smile, wobbling every few seconds. When she reached Mike, she grabbed his knee and managed to pull herself to her feet. She threw herself into her father's arms and he caught her, wrapping his arms around her little body and kissing the top of her head.

"You did it, baby girl!" he cried happily, lifting her in the air. "You really did it!"

Engel cooed happily, grabbing Mike's hair in her hands.

"Ow... why? Why do you always do that?" Mike asked, lowering the child while Samantha loosened her grip and took her daughter in her arms.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered, kissing Engel's cheek. Engel giggled, clapping her hands together. Samantha nodded, shifting the child in her arms to join the clap. "That's right, Angel, happy."

-----RPM-----

Back at the Ranger base, Dillon was sitting in the lab, watching the monitor carefully and endlessly as Tenaya entered the Venjix palace. Even if he couldn't be there personally to help the woman he loved, he was going to make sure she got the help she needed.

From the door, Hayden and Flynn watched him. Hayden looked up at the Scotsman and sighed.

"I'm going to sit with him," she said.

"Not that I mind, but why?" Flynn frowned. "The lad's probably in a mood."

"RMS," Hayden nodded. Flynn did as well, until he caught what she had said exactly. He looked down at her curiously.

"Hay..."

"Really Missing Summer," Hayden explained. "It's a condition. It shares the same emotional symptoms as PMS."

"Never mind," Flynn frowned, "I'm going to go see if Greg and the twins need any help. I'll see you later."

He kissed her gently before turning off, leaving Hayden to deal with the RMSing Black Ranger.

"Hey," she smiled while pulling up a chair to sit beside him. "Whatcha doing?"

"I know what you're trying to do," Dillon growled, "And it's not going to help."

"You know, at least I know you care about her," Hayden said gently. "You're really worried."

"Worried?" Dillon frowned, turning to the brunette. "I just lost my girlfriend to a fucking virus and I'm sending the enemy out to retrieve her! I'm way beyond worried."

"Note to self, use the thesaurus when talking to RMSing Dillon," Hayden muttered.

"Hayden, if you're going to joke around then get lost," Dillon barked. "I don't need you around."

"Well, you need someone," Hayden said, "And the others are kinda scared of you right now."

"Why?" Dillon asked.

"Well, first of all, you tend to have rage blackouts and forget that not everyone's as strong and powerful as you," Hayden listed, "Second, you seem to enjoy beating people with your fists. Third, you don't give a damn about other people and fourth... put the last three together and you get a psychotic mass murderer trying to find his true love."

"So why the hell are you staying with me?" Dillon frowned.

"I can't die," Hayden reminded him, "And you can't commit murder if the person you tried to murder isn't dead. Then it's an attempt at murder and it's still a very serious crime but at least you didn't take a life and the person has a chance to heal. Oh, and sometimes I don't feel pain. You know, we would make an awesome team!"

"Shut up," Dillon frowned, dropping his head in his hands. Hayden's face dropped as she turned to the brooding puppy. She placed her hand on his back and leaned in closer.

"Crying doesn't make you weak," she told him. "It makes you stronger. It helps release all the bad feelings. When you cry, the tears are like every negative emotion and they flow right out of you. The more you cry about something, the better you feel. If you don't cry and keep everything bottled up, the bad emotions stay inside you and you become a brooding bad boy puppy."

"I don't want to cry," Dillon frowned, "I want Summer to come home."

"And she will," Hayden assured him. "I promise she will. Either Tenaya will bring her back or you and I will march right up to Venjix and demand Summer's release. He will obey, you want to know why?"

"Go away," Dillon growled.

"He'll obey, cause you're freaking scary when you're angry. And I can guarantee you'll be angry if we have to go get Summer."

"Hayden, get lost!" Dillon yelled.

"Not until you cry!"

"Why the hell am I going to cry?"

"Because, it'll help get Summer back," Hayden whispered, taking Dillon's hand. "Until you let your emotions out, you won't think rationally. Everything Tenaya'll do will look like betrayal. You'll be ready to jump in and kill her at the slightest mistake. If you cry, you'll be calm and maybe, just maybe, that'll help. So cry, dammit!"

"I'm not going to cry!"

"CRY!" Hayden yelled, hitting Dillon's arm. She knew it didn't hurt, but she had to push him somehow.

"Hayden," Dillon groaned, glaring at the small girl. Hayden shook her head.

"Cry," she said, hitting his other arm, then his chest.

"Stop it," he growled.

"CRY!" Hayden screamed, getting a good blow in his chest. Dillon suddenly snapped, grabbing both Hayden's wrists and holding them tight.

"Stop it!" he screamed.

"Not until you cry like a big baby!" Hayden frowned, struggling to get out. "Until you do you'll basically be a weak and pathetic boy who will never save the woman he loves!"

"Shut up," Dillon frowned and Hayden could see the tears coming.

"I want my cousin back just as much as you do, but that won't happen until you man up and cry!" Hayden said. "You know, refusing to do what might help, just may be the death of Summer... actually, she could be dead right now."

"Hayden, stop it, seriously," Dillon growled, "I will rip you to pieces. I know you'll still be alive and you know very well I'll do it."

"Rip me up," Hayden grinned, "Anything as long as you get your emotions out. Be a man and do whatever you need to save your girl!"

Dillon frowned, throwing Hayden's hands back at her as he turned back to bury his head in his hands. That's when he looked at the monitor. Tenaya had found Summer. She was lying in a cell, chained to the wall. It was too dark to see, so Dillon couldn't tell if she was sleeping, or lying on the ground because of brutal injury.

"Summer..." he whispered, touching the screen. Hayden stopped to look at her older cousin as well. She turned to Dillon for a moment, seeing the tears were about to spill over.

"Cry," she breathed and he dropped off the chair to his knees. He fell to the ground in a heap and began to sob. Hayden dropped beside him.

She didn't want to break him like she had done. She didn't want to get so personal with him, but she knew that if Tenaya did turn out to be a traitor, Dillon was going to be the only one who would stand a chance against Tenaya and possibly an evil Summer. But he wouldn't be able to fight unless he got to thinking straight. If he was so focused on protecting Summer and keeping her from harm, there would be no way he would fight against her in battle and humanity might fall because of it. At least, if he cried, he could sort through his emotions. He could figure out what was best for himself, for Summer and for the city and maybe, he would realise, that if fighting Summer meant he could protect everyone, he would be more likely to do it.

Really, getting Dillon to cry was a selfish thing on Hayden's part. She wanted her older cousin back and she knew Dillon was the only way. She had to make sure he was ready to bring Summer back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear, holding him close.


	15. Hannah Banana

After being briefed on the plan for another operator, Kaylee made it her mission to seek out the best possible candidate. She needed a Ranger expert within the age limit and who could work on short notice. To qualify for two of the three one needed to be a Ranger kid. They were really the only experts and the only ones who would be able to operate Zords and weapons quickly.

Age limit was a tricky thing, especially when there were only so many kids living in Corinth.

Christian was a Ranger kid, but he was only three years old. There was no way he could lift a blaster.

Elena was also too young, and Kaylee didn't want to put her nine year old, blind, niece at risk of death.

Next up was Madeline, Leanne and Cam's daughter. She was 11, which wasn't too bad, but Kaylee could find better, especially seeing as Maddie lived in NewTech city with her parents.

Twelve year old Jason was an option. He could be called to operate Zords and work Summer's smaller weapons, but he was still only a kid.

There was one other child, born a couple years after Daniela. She was the youngest of the oldest, and the oldest of the youngest.

Fifteen year old Hannah James, RJ and Kelly's only daughter and the only person Kaylee thought was really ready for battle.

Kaylee hopped up on the doorstep and knocked on the door. She stood, waiting for an answer.

The door opened, and RJ stood, smelling like pizza and looking like mount tomato blew up on him.

"Don't tell me," Kaylee groaned, picking a tomato sauce covered banana off her former employer's shoulder, "You're trying to hide bananas in..."

Kaylee licked her finger, recognising the meaty taste already, "Meat Lover's Dream?"

Hannah didn't like bananas. That much was obvious to everyone except her father. He refused to believe that his cub, his offspring and his flesh and blood didn't like his favourite fruit. After all, everything's better with bananas.

"Best hiding place yet," RJ grinned. "I'm about to serve it now. Wanna watch with me so I can rub it in yours and Kelly's faces when Hannah eats bananas."

"Someone's going to get their faces rubbed in it," Kaylee laughed, following RJ to the kitchen where the James family was eating lunch. Already Hannah pushed her plate away and sat at the table with her arms crossed. When RJ stepped into the room she glared at him.

"Dad, you know I hate bananas!" she said, "Why do you insist on hiding them everywhere?"

Kaylee leaned in, whispering to RJ, "Engel used to be the same way," she said, "but with hot-dogs. Just the thought of those wieners was enough to make her vomit for days."

"Hannah, you know bananas are really good for you, and daddy only wants what's best for you."

"I think it's best if I don't upchuck all my vitamins from the other fruits," Hannah muttered. She grabbed her plate, taking it to the counter and covering it with plastic wrap so one of her parents could eat it later. After putting the pizza in the fridge she walked off to her room, giving her Aunt Kaylee a welcoming nod before leaving.

Kelly stood up, rolling her eyes, "RJ, I love you, but for the past fifteen years I've been hearing the same debate."

"How do you not like bananas?" RJ asked. Kaylee looked to Kelly and both women shrugged.

"They can be mushy," Kelly pointed out.

"Or... maybe, she's intolerant!" Kaylee grinned. RJ had a look of horror.

"No, she's not intolerant of bananas! My cub can eat bananas! She just refuses to!"

"Well, think about it," Kaylee pondered with the two parents, "She throws up when she has bananas, she complains about stomach pains and... bathroom issues."

Kelly was nodding her head, agreeing with her little sister. RJ grabbed his heart as he dropped into the kitchen chair.

"No..." he breathed, "I can't believe it..."

"Oh, RJ," Kelly laughed, wrapping her arms around him. "My poor, poor RJ."

"Kelly you broke her!" RJ frowned, turning to look at his wife.

"Me?" Kelly chuckled, "How did I break her?"

"You made her," RJ pouted.

"Oh, yeah, now I'm the one who made her," Kelly rolled her eyes playfully. "But when she passes her classes in school and in the Pai Zhuq, you're the one who brought her into this world."

"That's the way pregnancy works."

"Robbie James," Kelly sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Leave me Hannah's pizza for tomorrow's lunch?" RJ proposed sweetly, batting his eyelashes. Kelly laughed, pushing on his forehead.

"I guess."

Kaylee watched the couple from the kitchen entrance, tilting her head and grinning. They were so cute together it was crazy. However, she had a job she needed to get done. She cleared her through, catching their attention.

"I have a question," she called.

"Down the hall to the right," RJ said.

Kaylee shook her head, "Not that."

"The three mice."

"No..."

"An orange."

Kaylee groaned, "The RPM team needs Hannah to join as a temporary operator."

Kelly and RJ's expressions changed from playful flirt to deer caught in headlights as Kaylee's proposal came out. Kaylee giggled, remembering the last time she saw both the entrepreneurs with those looks.

"Hey, it your wedding night all over again!" she giggled.

Kelly was first to speak up, "You want Hannah?" she asked, "Our one and only baby girl, to fight against Venjix?"

"Well, it'll probably be Summer she's fighting against... and a double agent Tenaya seven... and the deadly Kilobyte, but if you're speaking general terms then yeah."

"Whoa, wait, Summer?" RJ frowned.

"Apparently I'm not so good with the caring for the niece thing," Kaylee shrugged. "Dani fractured her knee, Summer's been kidnapped and I think I gave Elena some nasty tuna..."

"You are not helping yourself," Kelly frowned, "You want Hannah to risk her life?"

"Look," Kaylee said, taking both RJ and Kelly's hands and sitting them down at the table. "I know this is hard for you guys..."

"Hard?" Kelly asked, "We know how dangerous it is out there as a Ranger! We don't want anything to happen to Hannah!"

"And nothing will, I promise," Kaylee smiled, "She's not even getting a Ranger suit. She's just going to operate weapons and the bear Zord until we get Summer back."

"Oh, so she's just going to play a part in the Zord battle..." RJ said, "The big, heavy machinery... that can kill you if they malfunction... and Hannah doesn't even know how to not malfunction them... and that's the only way to not malfunction, knowing how not to malfunction."

Kaylee sighed deeply, grabbing a paper bag for RJ and handing it to him. He was going through a lot today.

She turned to Kelly as RJ started hyperventilating, "I can assure you Hannah will be safe and sound."

"No," Kelly shook her head, "She won't... If Venjix has Summer, then he'll know something's up if her Zord comes into play. He'll target it to get the new threat out of the way and Hannah's going to get hurt."

"Look," Kaylee said, dropping in front of the worried parents, "Mike, Hayden and Dani have all agreed to protect Hannah with their lives. Ronny's going to standby to assist Hannah with everything she's doing and I'm going to monitor battle formations and make sure Hannah's out of the way of attacks. We'll really only need her to form the Ultrazord"

"Why doesn't that sound good?" Kelly asked. "You're putting my daughter in danger, Kaylee. You're sending her out there without any training."

"Without full training," Kaylee smirked, "I would never send a Ranger out into a battle unprepared."

"Ziggy," RJ frowned. Kaylee took a deep breath.

"He fell into battle," she said, "But it was something he was ready for. You two know I love Hannah with all my heart, and the last thing I would ever do is put her in danger. I know she's ready for this! I know she can do it."

"Who can do what?" Hannah asked, stepping down the last few stairs with her hand on her stomach. Kaylee walked over to her, placing her arms on the young girl's shoulders as she looked at the parents.

"We need Hannah," Kaylee stated, "Venjix is getting stronger, Shifter seems to be splitting, it's chaos out there and we need full hands on deck!"

"But, our daughter...?" RJ asked. Kaylee nodded and pulled out her famous puppy face. Kelly and RJ turned away to avoid the stare, but Kaylee started to whimper.

"You know she'll do awesome! And you two know I'm ready to protect her with my life if I sense the slightest bit of trouble."

"Am I..." Hannah started, but Kaylee quickly shushed her.

"Not now, I'm breaking your parents," she whispered. Turning back to the wolf master and the red head, Kaylee pouted once again, "Please, please, please! Summer's counting on us to save her!"

RJ turned to his wife and let out a deep sigh, "As dangerous as Rangering was, it was always fun."

"You can't deprive your sweet, beautiful daughter of that experience," Kaylee tossed in while the parents debated the matter.

Kelly nodded, "And, for a job so dangerous, it was pretty... safe?"

"For lack of a better word we can use that," Kaylee grinned.

"You know," RJ smiled; turning to his daughter for a moment, then back at Kelly, "I did always picture her in violet."

"Ha," Kelly laughed, "She's totally a pink."

"She's not violet and she's not pink," Kaylee laughed, patting Hannah's shoulder. "She's yellow... and only if I need to call a worst-case scenario plan Z."

"So... Am I stepping in?" Hannah asked, looking to her aunt, then her parents. "Can I step in?"

Kelly and RJ looked at each other nervously before smiling.

"You better be careful, squirt," RJ told his daughter. "I don't want to see a scratch on you."

Kaylee cheered, high-fiving her niece and pulling her to the door. Kelly rolled her eyes and smiled as she led them out.

"Remember, Kayl, I want her home as soon as possible!"

-----RPM-----

Tenaya stepped into the prison chambers, seeing Summer lying, almost dead, on the ground and chained to the wall. She knelt down beside the blonde girl, shaking her very gently to try and wake her, without causing harm.

"Summer?" she called softly. "Summer, you better wake up soon. Venjix is going to be watching my every move."

Summer started to stir, pulling herself up to a sitting position. Tenaya breathed a sigh of relief, placing her hand over her heart and feeling the beat. It was something she never felt before, until Summer showed her who she truly was.

"Thank God you're here," Summer said, getting to her feet and unlocking the chains with a key that was tied around her neck. "We were starting to think you were never going to show."

"We?" Tenaya frowned, "Summer, it's just you and me. What are you talking about?"

Kilobyte stepped into the room with a chuckle.

"She means us," he told the hybrid. Tenaya turned around, positioning herself in front of Summer protectively. Summer rolled her eyes, pushing past Tenaya and standing beside Kilobyte. Tenaya looked at her in shock.

"We all know you've sided with the Rangers," Summer smirked, playing with her morpher. Tenaya swallowed hard. If Kilobyte knew, then that meant Venjix would as well. "You don't have to play evil with us."

"Summer, what are you talking about?" Tenaya frowned, stepping forward and taking Summer's hands, secretly running a scan on the yellow Ranger to see if she had been implanted with Venjix hardware. The scan came up at 0%. "You... you are Summer, right?"

"Of course I am," Summer yelled, shoving Tenaya aside. "Who else would I be?"

"But... you're a kind, caring person. You're warm and happy. You're not this cold and..."

"Pure evil?" Summer asked, almost laughing.

"Yeah..."

Summer stepped up to Tenaya, glaring at the hybrid, "And who are you to judge who I truly am?" she frowned, "You barely know me. You're just some hybrid scum I picked off the streets and manipulated."

Tenaya ignored Summer's words, pulling her behind her so she could speak to Kilobyte.

"What the hell did you do to her?" she hissed, glaring up at the robot. Kilobyte laughed.

"Suppressed her memories," he said. "I was thinking of turning her into you, but Venjix told me that plan had already failed with Dillon, Kaylee and Hayden. There was no point in trying again. So, we left her as she was, human, and turned her into one of us by burying her true emotions deep."

"And what makes you think we can't unlock those memories?" Tenaya smirked.

"I won't let you," Summer grinned, grabbing Tenaya's arm. "Now, we have a city to destroy. Why don't you be a good like hybrid and help me out. After all, you know what happens if you're not on Master Venjix' good side."

Tenaya was dragged out of the cell, watching as Kilobyte waved goodbye to her. Once out of sight of the robot, Tenaya turned the tables, pinning Summer against the wall.

"What the hell happened to you?" she asked the blonde. "Summer, don't you remember anything?"

"What is there to remember?" Summer laughed, "Venjix is the master and he will take over. I might as well join him so I can be by his side when that happens. You remember the feeling, right?"

"Yeah, and knowing he would sacrifice you at any moment for his own personal gain is just the cherry on top," Tenaya remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Summer, you have people out there who..."

"Venjix is giving you a second chance," Summer interrupted, pushing Tenaya off her and continuing down the hall, "I suggested to you take it before he decides you're just a bunch of scrap metal."

-----RPM-----

When the tears were done, Dillon wiped his eyes and looked at Hayden. He couldn't believe he had cried in front of her. He couldn't believe he had cried, period! He never imagined letting his feelings go like this, and if he did, he always thought Summer would be the one to see it, not her little, annoying cousin.

"Feel better?" Hayden asked, smiling down at him and helping him to his feet. Dillon thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Actually... I do feel a bit better," he said. "I'm still angry, scared and frustrated as hell, but..."

"Good," Hayden nodded. "Now you see why women always cry. It feels so much better afterwards."

Dillon laughed slightly, looking at the screen. He saw Tenaya was being led by Summer out into the wastes. Something wasn't right. He called Hayden over and showed her the screen. She frowned.

"Are they coming for an attack already?" she asked.

"I don't know," Dillon said. He looked at the clock, "but thirty minutes ago, on the screen, Summer looked dead. Now she's leading an attack. What does this mean?"

"This means we're going to have to work hard to convince Summer to come home," Hayden frowned.

"Come home...?" Dillon asked, "Doesn't she want to?"

"Venjix is letting her and Tenaya walk right out," Hayden shook her head sadly as she brought up the facts, "I doubt this is staged."

"It doesn't matter," Dillon said, throwing on his jacket, "I'm getting her back."

-----RPM-----

"Do I get a cool jacket?" Hannah asked her aunt as Kaylee parked the car in the garage, just in time to see Dillon hop into his own car and drive off, with Hayden watching sadly. Both Kaylee and Hannah saw this and frowned.

"This isn't good, is it?" Hannah said. Kaylee nodded and the two got out of the car.

Flynn walked over to his girlfriend, "What happened in there?"

Hayden didn't want everyone to know Dillon had cried. She knew it was probably something he would want to hide, or at least tell for himself.

"I got him to work through some issues," Hayden said, "But we saw Summer leading Tenaya into the wastelands. We think it's an attack."

"So why is Dillon storming off?"

Hayden wrapped her arms around Flynn, pulling herself into his arms and resting her head on his chest. He held her close, kissing the top of her head.

Hayden whispered, "He's trying to get her back."

"Then why are you panicking?" Flynn asked. He could feel Hayden shaking in fear, something she wasn't prone to doing unless she was really scared or worried about something. All he could do was hold her close.

"I'm scared he's going to let his emotions get the best of him before I can talk some sense into him," she said. "I still didn't tell him he's got to do whatever it takes, even if it means hurting Summer..."

"I'm sure he knows," Flynn smiled, but Hayden shook her head.

"I don't think he does," she said, "And I'm scared that he'll find out when it's too late... for everyone."


	16. Summer's Attack

"It's Hannah banana!" Mike called, picking his young cousin up and spinning her around. Hannah grabbed onto his arms for dear life, caught up in the surprise.

"Hey, Mikey," Hannah laughed when he finally put her down. The other Rangers gathered to meet their new team-mate.

Kaylee handed Hannah an engine cell and something that looked very much like a morpher, but the Rangers could already tell it wasn't connected, in anyway, to a suit.

"Rangers, meet the new weapons operator for the Ranger Yellow suit, Hannah James," Kaylee said, introducing the team to the fifteen year old blonde. Of course, most of them already knew Hannah; the introduction was more for Ziggy, Rebecca, Greg and the Boom twins.

"Mom, we don't have time for this," Hayden said, trying to zoom off. "Summer's on the move with Tenaya, and Dillon just went after her."

"What happened to Summer exactly?" Hannah asked, stopping Hayden in her tracks. The pink Ranger turned to her cousin and sighed.

"I don't know," she answered sadly, "But I do know it's bad."

"Is Summer a Venjix hybrid now too?" Ziggy frowned, "We've done this three times before. I think we've got a handle on it."

Rebecca shook her head, "Venjix wouldn't be that stupid. He would know his plan has failed many times before and wouldn't repeat his errors."

"How about we run a scan on Summer..."

"... while you guys hold her off?" Gem and Gemma suggested.

Scott nodded, "It sounds like a good idea. Come on team."

The Ranger ran out and Gem, Gemma, Kaylee and Dr. K went to work. Hannah stood in the middle of the garage, confused about whom to follow.

"C'mon, Banana," Mike called, coming back for the young girl and pulling her along, "All hands on deck."

"Don't call me Banana," Hannah growled.

-----RPM-----

Tenaya and Summer walked right past the shields and into the city. Summer wore a proud smirk on her face while Tenaya followed her glumly.

"Summer, this isn't who you really are," she said, "Don't you remember the Black Ranger?"

"He's the strong one," Summer nodded, "And he should be the first to go."

Tenaya shook her head. She knew trying to get the blonde to remember the Rangers was going to be hard, because she didn't know their names very well, but she was going to try anyways.

"I... I think his name was Dillon?" Tenaya tried. Summer stopped for a moment. Tenaya took this chance, coming up behind her and placing a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Do you remember him?"

"Yeah," Summer nodded. Tenaya was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when the yellow Ranger continued, "I remember he's the Black Ranger and he must be destroyed before we can move on with our plan."

Tenaya frowned, spinning Summer around and grabbing the badge she wore around her neck.

"Summer, don't you remember anything?" she asked, holding up the badge. "Why the hell would you have this if you served Venjix?"

"It's a fake," Summer said, grabbing the badge and pulling it out of Tenaya's hands, "Venjix made it."

"When?"

"The first evacuation," Summer answered, "When I was left for dead. Venjix saved me and offered me a chance at revenge. All those other humans left me for dead. They think only of themselves and therefore must be destroyed."

Sum..."

Summer grabbed Tenaya's wrist, almost snapping it to catch the hybrid's attention.

"One more word out of you, and we're turning around so I can report to Venjix that you've been a disloyal subject."

Tenaya thought about shutting her mouth, but knew that wouldn't help Summer in the slightest.

"Venjix is a tool," she said. "Why follow him? After all, you are powerful, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't still be around if I wasn't," Summer nodded.

"Right... and what has Venjix done to progress himself in the advancement of the machine empire?"

"He's led us..."

"If I'm not mistaken, you've been calling most of the shots," Tenaya smirked, "I think you're a better leader than..."

"Summer!"

Tenaya heard Dillon's voice call just as the Black ranger appeared. He ran over to Summer, pulling her into a hug.

"Please tell me you're home," he whispered, holding Summer close, "Please tell me Hayden was wrong. You're not leading an attack, right?"

"Wrong," Summer yelled, throwing Dillon back. Tenaya grabbed Summer, holding her back to keep her from attacking Dillon. She looked into the human's eyes.

"Don't tell me you don't remember him," she asked Summer while pointing to Dillon, struggling to get back to his feet. Summer growled.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Tenaya?" she groaned, "Why are you so persistent?"

"Because, Summer, I've only known you for a couple of hours, and I already know that this isn't you."

Summer frowned, grabbing Tenaya's arm and throwing her beside Dillon. He caught her, helping her back to her feet.

"You trust me?" she asked the black Ranger. Dillon turned away, ignoring her.

"Summer... Sunshine... come one, babe," Dillon tried stepping closer.

Summer reacted to that one step, charging forward. She shoved Tenaya out of the way and swung her arms forward, hitting Dillon in the face. Just as he stumbled back Scott caught him and supported him.

Dillon wiped his nose, seeing the blood on his hand. Summer was rolling her wrist and smirking.

"Summer..." he called weakly, "Summer, I don't want to hurt you."

"Good," Summer said, grabbing her morpher.

"_Hannah, activate your cell now!"_ Kaylee's voice rang over the communicator. _"Two operators can't use the same weapons. It'll cancel out her morph completely!"_

Hannah nodded, grabbing the cell and putting it in the makeshift morpher. She activated it just as Summer called to morph.

Summer screamed in pain as the battle for power raged on. Dillon's heart broke as he watched Summer fall to her knees and power down.

"What the hell did you do?" Summer growled, looking up and spotting the new girl. She was much younger than herself and was definitely in over her head.

"Summer's scary when she's evil," Hannah commented, stepping back behind Mike.

"She sounds like Aunt Kira," he agreed.

Summer screamed, running forward and engaging the Rangers in a battle. Tenaya stepped out of the way, watching for a moment. She couldn't let this happen, but whatever Kilobyte did to Summer was definitely taking its toll. She had no clue who she really was.

"Maybe the Angel can help," Tenaya muttered to herself. She found Hannah, who had been ordered to stay away from the fight, and pulled her aside. She took the communicator and contacted the Ranger base.

"The Angel, I need to talk to her!"

"You mean Samantha?" Hannah frowned.

"_Ten... is that you?"_ Samantha's voice said, and Tenaya could hear a baby giggling in the background.

"Samantha, can you help us?"

"_Um, I'm a little busy. But what do you need?"_

"You played with my mind... you got inside my head! Summer's memories are still with her, but they're suppressed. Can you unlock them?"

"_I don't play with suppressed memories,"_ Samantha answered, _"It's too dangerous. The memories are always hidden too deep and I would have to dig my way through. I could screw up and we could lose Summer completely, or I could get her back..."_

"And..." Hannah asked, looking momentarily at Tenaya.

"_And... I could severely traumatize Summer."_

"Traumatize in what way?" Tenaya asked.

"_She would remember, but she would also remember that the experience to unlock her memories was more than painful. She won't be able to trust me anymore, nor will she trust the rest of you for allowing it."_

"It hurts that that much?" Hannah frowned.

"_More than you can imagine."_

Meanwhile, in the battle, Summer had the advantage, taking down every Ranger with ease.

Dillon got back to his feet, grabbing Summer's wrists from behind and wrapping his arms around her.

"Summer, please stop!" he begged. Summer bent over, pulling Dillon over and flipping him onto the ground.

"Why would I, when I can win?" she asked.

Scott got up, calling the five first Rangers to his side. Hannah replaced Summer, pulling out the zip charger.

"Thankfully we have you," Mike smiled, patting the young girl on the back. "Think you can handle this? It's got quite a kick."

"Are we hitting Summer?" Hannah asked. Mike and Scott both nodded.

"It's the only way," they answered.

Ziggy pulled back from battle, coming to Tenaya's side. Daniela and Greg stepped back as well as Scott aimed his shot.

Dillon looked up at his friends and felt his heart drop when he saw the Rangers were aiming their most powerful blaster at Summer.

"FIRE!" Scott yelled and Dillon jumped to his feet, taking the blast. He threw himself on Summer, protecting her, but scorching his back badly. Both landed with a thud on the ground.

"You idiot!" Summer screamed, pushing Dillon off her. He groaned painfully, rolling onto the ground.

"Dillon!" Daniela frowned, stomping her foot. "You weren't supposed to do that!"

"I think I got that part," Dillon said.

Summer knelt down on top of Dillon and right before he powered down, she grabbed his blaster.

"Well, seeing as that pathetic violet wannabe stole all my powers, I'm going to have to settle for yours," Summer said, holding the blaster above his head. "Say goodnight, Black Ranger."

"Summer..." Dillon coughed, taking Summer's free hand in both of his. "You don't want to do this. You're Summer McKnight, Yellow RPM Ranger. You're the daughter of Kira Ford and Conner McKnight, and you're Kaylee Hanson's niece. You care deeply about your friends and family and you believed in me when no one else did, not even me! Summer, please, remember!"

Summer's hand began to shake as she looked into Dillon's eyes. His puppy eyes were staring up at her, begging her to remember what she couldn't.

Summer growled slamming Dillon against the ground as she got off him, dropping his blaster and turning to walk away.

"Come on, Tenaya," she called, "We'll finish this later."

Tenaya was about to follow, not wanting to leave Summer alone in the palace, when Kilobyte jumped in front of Summer, spooking her. The yellow Ranger looked up at the monster and frowned.

"The hell do you want?" she asked.

"Tenaya's not coming back," Kilobyte grinned, "Venjix saw her betrayal and sent me to tell her she better not cross paths with him soon."

Kilobyte stepped forward, marching right up to Tenaya and pulling out some hair. Tenaya winced, pulling away.

"What are you doing?" she spat, slapping his hand away.

"Venjix needs a stronger villainess to serve Summer," Kilobyte smirked.

"ZIP CHARGER!" Hannah called, sending her weapon forward, knocking Kilobyte over. Everyone turned to Hannah, surprised she would react so quickly and independently. She just shrugged.

"What?" she laughed, "It's in the genes."

Flynn and Mike took advantage of Kilobyte being down to grab Summer, lifting her feet off the ground so she couldn't escape.

"Hannah, nail Kilobyte again!" Hayden ordered, jumping back into battle, lifting Kilobyte to his feet to make him a better target. "Scott, Greg, blast him as well!"

The three Rangers obeyed her orders, pointing their weapons at Kilobyte. The General's eyes widened as he tried to run.

"Not so fast!" Daniela said, taking off at hyper speed to help her cousin grab the monster. They both held him tight. Just as the shots were taken, Daniela zoomed out of the way, and Hayden dropped to her knees to avoid most of the blast.

Kilobyte was thrown through the air, landing on his stomach. He struggled to get back to his feet then took off.

"He took my hair," Tenaya frowned, touching the spot on her head that was still sore.

"Be glad that's all he took," Scott said, coming to her side, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tenaya nodded.

Flynn and Mike lowered Summer onto the ground, letting her go for a moment. Summer frowned, taking off as soon as she could.

Hannah, caught up in the moment, grabbed her communicator, "Colonel, raise the shields before Summer can escape."

Again, all eyes turned to her, surprised she knew when to call the shots and when to lay low. Hannah bit her lip nervously and smiled.

"I pick up on things really quickly?" she laughed.

Dillon was pulled to his feet by Greg and Hayden and Daniela came to inspect his back.

"Think I should help?" Hayden asked her younger cousin. Daniela nodded.

"He's probably going to try and run after Summer again," she said, "Might as well."

Hayden sighed, picking up a sharp piece of debris and cutting her hand.

"I should really just start carrying a pocket blade around, shouldn't I?" Hayden joked, placing her bloody hand on Dillon's back.

"It's probably best," Dillon nodded, feeling the wound heal. He threw his jacket back on, thanking Hayden, before taking off after Summer.

"C'mon guys," Scott sighed, leading the team to follow. He wasn't going to let Dillon chase after a brainwashed Summer on his own, "Let's..."

Scott stopped, dropping to his knees and holding his hand over his heart.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ziggy asked his leader. Scott nodded and tried to get back up, the pain was worse and he dropped again, screaming loudly.

"Okay... I know I'm the newbie... but I'm pretty sure that this isn't good!" Hannah said.

Greg and Daniela came over to Scott, helping him up and supporting his weight. Everyone waited for Hayden's orders, but nothing came. Flynn stepped up.

"Dillon can take care of himself," he said, "Right now we need to find out what's up with Scott. Take him back."

The team did as they were told, turning back to the garage. Flynn stepped beside his girlfriend, seeing her looking at Dillon's fading figure.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her.

"We could have had Summer," she whispered, "If Dillon just let that shot hit her... we could have saved her."

"Hay..."

"I told him he was going to lose her!" Hayden screamed, throwing the piece of debris out of her hand and smashing it on the ground. Flynn reacted quickly by wrapping Hayden in his arms.

"Everything's going to work out," he whispered.

"You're lying," Hayden began to sob, hiding her head in Flynn's chest. He rubbed her back gently.

"We'll bring Summer back," he promised. "It might not be easy, but we'll get your cousin back."


	17. Control Alt Delete

Dr. K stood over Scott, waving the wand over his body to analyse what was causing him severe pain. Everyone stood over him except for Dillon, who had run off after Summer.

"Look, it's not so bad now," Scott said, pushing himself up and with a little help from Samantha, he got into a sitting position on the chair. "I think I just need to lie down. Maybe it's just something I ate."

Samantha watched him get up and leave and looked at Dr. K, who was over at the computers to get Scott's results.

"It's not something he ate, is it?" she asked sadly. Dr. K shook her head slowly.

"Definitely not," she answered, "I've determined that it's a nano-magnetic transmitter."

"Which means zip to me," Ziggy said, "but anything that starts with nano does not belong in your chest."

"Is it the Venjix virus?" Mike asked, shifting Engel over so he was holding her in his other arm and he could hold Samantha close.

"No, it's not the virus," Samantha let out a sigh of relief at Dr. K's words. She was worried deeply about losing Scott, especially after having just lost her mother. She wasn't ready to face it again, especially so soon. "But I still haven't figured out its exact functions."

"Keep working on it, Becca," Kaylee called from her work station just as the alarms went off. Ronny ran over to the computers.

"Breach in sector twelve," she announced.

"Hayden, with Scott and Summer down, you're going to have to lead," Kaylee told her daughter. Hayden looked up sadly and nodded.

Flynn lifted his hand slightly, "Actually, I think I'll take the lead on this, if Hayden's doesn't mind."

"As long as there is a leader," Ronny shrugged, "Now you guys have to get down there!"

"Is it Summer?" Hannah asked her aunt. Ronny pulled up video surveillance and shook her head.

"It's worse."

Mike gave his daughter to Samantha as Flynn led the team to out of the garage. Hannah followed the older boy nervously. Fighting Summer and taking away her powers was one thing. Facing another Venjix attack bot was another.

-----RPM-----

Tenaya sat in the girl's room, ignoring the alarm. She knew it was Shifter who was attacking the city because Kilobyte had just been temporarily defeated and she was watching Dillon and Summer through a little monitor she had hacked into via Hayden's computer.

She knew Summer had forgotten everything and she also knew what memories had replaced her real ones to make her think she was working with Venjix. She just needed a way to prove to Summer those memories were fake.

Summer was aware she was human, so making her bleed wasn't going to do anything.

There was no sense in trying to get Summer to remember. The blonde haired Ranger was way too stubborn for her own good.

There had to be another way.

-----RPM-----

Shifter was roaming the city, causing everyone to run away from him, screaming. The Rangers were the only ones running towards him. Shifter spotted them, and with a smirk, he turned.

"Ah, look what my destruction has just dragged in! You're here, just as I planned!"

"If we leave, will he have to rethink his plan?" Daniela asked before the others charged into battle. Hannah obviously stayed behind. Daniela turned to her, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know; I'm still new! Go help them!" Hannah frowned, pointing to the battle. Daniela turned and nodded.

Shifter was not an easy opponent. Being a robot, he didn't feel pain like humans or hybrids, and his metallic body made it harder to cause damage. The Rangers swung their weapons at him, but to no avail. He grabbed Daniela as she ran into the battle, and threw her into Greg, knocking them both down. Mike and Ziggy tried a tag team, but that only made them a bigger target as Shifter threw them aside like ragdolls.

Hayden and Flynn tried, but Hayden's head wasn't fully in the battle. She was worrying about Summer, Dillon, and now Scott. Flynn wanted to cover her, but Shifter knocked her aside before he could come to her aide. Flynn growled, swinging his weapon, but Shifter caught it and pulled him forward, then flipped him over.

The Rangers were lying on the ground in pain as Hannah ran over to them. Shifter laughed.

"I hope you all like surprises, because I have a big one for you!"

Out from Shifter's body came seven ribbons that wrapped around the Rangers', holding them tight and lifting them off the ground slightly.

-----RPM-----

"Tenaya, what are..."

"... you doing? The Rangers..."

"... need your help!" Gem and Gemma called for the hybrid, knocking on her door and opening it slightly. Tenaya turned to them, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you always do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" they both frowned.

Tenaya sighed, "Never mind. The Rangers need my help?"

"Well, they need help!" Gemma nodded.

"Shifter's really powerful."

Tenaya didn't need any more encouragement. She grabbed her visor from the desk, placing it on her head and running out.

-----RPM-----

Shifter was having fun controlling the Rangers and making them collide with one another.

Tenaya ran onto the scene, holding up her laser, she fired at the ribbons, breaking them and letting the rangers drop. Shifter turned to her.

"I see I'm not the only one who left," he smirked.

"And I see I'm the only one who's going to survive in the end," Tenaya grinned. Shifter turned back to the Rangers, seeing they all had their blasters pointed at him. He chuckled, pulling out a remote.

Suddenly, from around the corner, Scott walked out and stepped in front of Shifter, blocking the Ranger's shots.

"Scott?" Hayden frowned.

Tenaya did a scan of Scott, running over him body to locate why he was defending Shifter. She knew her old ally too well. If a Ranger was working for him, it was his own doing.

She spotted the key inside Scott's chest and frowned.

"Guys, Shifter's controlling him!" she called to the Rangers, running to their side.

"It's got to be what's in his chest!" Mike said.

Samantha appeared from thin air. Obviously she had seen what was going on from the base and she wasn't happy. Scott pulled out his nitro blaster, aiming it at the entire team.

"Sammy, go home," Mike called to his cousin. He knew already she was upset. Even if she got her revenge on Dai Shi for manipulating and destroying her mother, she still lived with the pain every day. Now, Shifter controlling Scott was something she wasn't going to let go, and Mike was afraid she was going to do something stupid. "We can take care of this."

"Samantha, leave!" Scott managed to yell. He could feel his finger slowly pressing down on the trigger. "Sammy!"

"You're not going to shoot!" Samantha frowned.

"I can't stop it!" Scott said.

Samantha was standing right in the middle of his shot. If Shifter got his way, she would no doubt get hurt.

"Scott, I'm not letting you go," Samantha whispered, looking in his eyes through his visor. "You still have some control; you still have a fighting chance! Don't give in!"

Scott nodded, using everything he could to pull his finger away from the trigger. His hand started to shake as he fought against the key for power, causing the blaster to drop out of his hand. Samantha smiled, but she knew his battle was far from over.

From the top of the building, Summer was standing, watching the battle. Dillon caught up to her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around.

"Summer, please listen to me."

"Give me your blaster," she said.

"What?" Dillon frowned, "I'm not letting you..."

"I'm not going to shoot you, idiot!" Summer snapped. "Now give me your damn blaster!"

Dillon lowered his head, calling the blaster from his morpher and handing it to Summer. He had no choice. His heart broke whenever Summer spoke to him with such hostility. He wanted it to stop, and the only way was for him to give into her orders.

Summer pointed the blaster down at the battle scene and Dillon realised his mistake, thinking she was going to shoot his friends he tried to take it from her. Summer shoved him away.

"Shifter must be destroyed," she told him. "My first goal is to illuminate him."

Dillon backed down, letting Summer take her shot. She hit Shifter square in the chest and the attack bot dropped to the ground. Scott did as well, giving Samantha the chance to run over to him.

"Are you okay?" she cried, pulling him into a hug. Scott nodded, powering down and holding her.

"Thanks to you," he said. Samantha put her hand on his heart and pulled the key out from inside him. Scott felt the pain, but ignored it as to not worry his girlfriend anymore.

"Where did that shot come from?" Tenaya asked while the Rangers were caring for Scott.

Summer jumped down from the building, landing in front of the Rangers, with her back turned to them.

"Summer?" Ziggy called, spotting her. He began jumping, thinking Dillon had gotten through to her, "Summer, hey, we're over here! Look, this way!"

Summer turned with a dark look, dulling Ziggy's excitement.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, Rangers," she said. Tenaya got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and turned around slowly to see what Summer was looking at over their shoulder.

"It's like looking into an evil mirror," she breathed, pulling Hannah behind her as she stood, looking at an exact copy of herself. There was only one difference, the heavy armour.

"Meet Tenaya Generation 15," Summer said while T15 held up her blaster at the Rangers. "With Tenaya's betrayal, Venjix knew we needed someone to take her place. With a lock of her hair we were able to clone her DNA and upgrade all her hardware to create my newest partner."

Suddenly, Shifter got to his feet, chuckling.

"It seems there are two sides," he said. "Mine or the dead."

Summer turned to the attack bot and growled. With a snap of her fingers, T15 raised her aim and shot, hitting Shifter with a powerful blow.

Scott smirked, getting into his Ranger suit once more and waiting for the smoke to clear. He saw Shifter, struggling on his feet. He rested his street sabre on his shoulder and laughed.

"This is the end of the line for you, Shifter," he said, drawing his sword. Shifter did the same with his staff, and the two charged. Samantha stepped back and out of the way, watching with dread.

Scott swung his sabre at Shifter, just missing the bot who swung as well. Shifter tried to take Scott's feet out from under him, but the Red Ranger jumped. Shifter followed through, trying to blaster the Ranger leader, but Scott avoided it, landing on his feet and running for the bot. He ran quickly, striking Shifter in the chest as Shifter's staff hit his helmet. Sparks caused a giant explosion, keeping the Rangers, Tenaya, Summer and T15 from seeing the end results.

Suddenly, from out of the smoke, Scott's helmet rolled to Samantha's feet. She picked it up and turned back to the battle. The smoke cleared, and Scott stood without his helmet, while Shifter exploded behind him.

"No one controls me and gets away with it," he said before dropping his stance. Samantha ran over to him, hugging him, thankful he was alive. She had assumed the worst when she saw the helmet, but now knew she had nothing to fear.

"Well," Summer smirked, "Venjix will be pleased that bag of bolts is gone."

"Tell me about it," Tenaya nodded. "One idiot down and only Crunch to go."

Summer turned to her former partner with a glare, "Just because I helped you guys today, doesn't mean I'm starting to remember whatever bullshit you're trying to get me to remember. We just had a common foe, and fortunately for you guys, he had to go."

Dillon finally jumped down from the building, landing before Summer. T15's blaster was aimed at him, but Summer stalled the attack.

"Why the hell do you keep following me?" she asked.

Samantha turned around, "Dillon, let her go," she said.

"No," he frowned, "I'm not letting her leave!"

"We can't do anything for her... yet," Samantha grinned, holding up the key she pulled from Scott. "Let her go, she can't leave the city. We'll run some tests and see what we can do with this."

Dillon sighed, stepping away from Summer. She ordered T15 to lower her weapon and the two walked off, leaving the Rangers be.

-----RPM-----

"Shifter shot the control key into Scott," Dr. K told the Rangers as she and the boom twins ran some tests on the key Samantha brought home. "The technology in the key allowed Shifter to control Scott's mind."

"Being a Ranger is weird," Hannah whispered, "Too much mind control."

"Why are we doing this?" Dillon asked the doctor. "It's already been used on Scott, so it's trash now, right?"

"Wrong," Kaylee said, lifting the key from the table and looking at it closely. "I don't think it was trashed, but damaged."

"Same thing," Dillon frowned.

"No, there's a difference," Ronny smirked, "I can repair damaged."

"What they're getting at is that with the key, we could be able to interrupt a person's thinking long enough to capture them," Dr. K smirked.

"Summer," Tenaya beamed. The doc, Kaylee and Ronny nodded. "Could it work on her?"

"Theoretically, yes," Dr. K answered.

"But, for how long?" Scott asked.

"Three to four seconds," Ronny said. "Anymore power and we might hurt Summer."

"It's all we need to capture her," Flynn smiled.

"Yeah, but what about my clone?" Tenaya asked. "It seems like Summer's got that bot wrapped around her finger. Anything that loyal won't just let us capture its partner."

"You and Hannah will take care of T15," Kaylee ordered. "You just need to distract her. Hannah will keep Summer from calling her Ranger suit and weapons, and if needed she'll fire shots on T15. Tenaya, you'll handle the hand to hand combat."

Ronny leaned into her sister and whispered, "Do you think it's a good idea to send Hannah to fight a Generation 15?" she asked, "You already lost Kira's daughter, now you're gambling Kelly's?"

Kaylee took the key from Ronny and showed it to her, "I'm assuming you're only giving the Rangers one shot?" Ronny nodded, "We need to make sure that shot hits Summer without fail. We'll have to hold her in place. It'll take a team of Rangers to do so, and one person to fire the shot. I can't ask put that pressure on Hannah, and I'm not getting her involved in a battle."

"With T15, I can help out and keep my distance, right?" Hannah asked. Kaylee nodded.

"Right. Ronny, make a blaster for this key. Make sure it's not going to hurt Summer. Dr. K, Gem, Gemma and Greg will work on the key..."

The alarm sounded, which was never good news for the Rangers.

"Greg, change of plans, you're going with the Rangers," Kaylee ordered. "The rest of you, you know what to do."

The Rangers left just as Samantha walked in. She approached her aunt and whispered.

"Aunt Ronny, when we destroyed Shifter's last monster, I saw him power himself up with a key a lot like that one."

"Shifter's gone now, Sammy," Ronny smiled. Samantha grabbed her arms.

"That other key held a lot of power, what if this one does as well?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Both keys came from that ugly ass monster. When Shifter used one on himself, he got the power of that monster. What if this key does the same thing?"

"Are you worried about Scott?" Ronny asked. She looked down at the young girl, "Kid, Scott's perfectly fine, and to be sure of it David's going to run some tests on him tonight. If there's anything..."

"It's not Scott's I'm worried about, Aunt Ronny," Samantha breathed, "Shifter may be dead, but spirits don't die. If that monster was living inside Shifter, then he wasn't in Scott's key. But now that's Shifter's gone, the key we're about to use on Summer just might contain his power... it might be much stronger than you think."

"You think the spirit travelled into the other key?" Ronny frowned. Samantha nodded.

"Keep your blaster's power at a minimum. It won't take much for that key to enter Summer and take over."

"You should tell Rebecca and the twins this. They have the key."

"It doesn't matter what they do. They can't make things worse. I'm telling you because you control its impact. Don't hurt her."

-----RPM-----

T15 was destroying buildings and bringing down the city when the Rangers arrived on scene. Summer was watching with a bored look on her face.

"You think the Rangers would want us to leave their precious city," she muttered, "Instead they keep us here to destroy it."

Tenaya jumped over the Rangers, grabbing her look-a-like and throwing her down. Hannah quickly powered up her makeshift morpher, deactivating Summer's. She pulled out her nitro blaster, aiming it at T15 while moving away from the fight.

"Summer, you're coming home," Dillon smiled to his girlfriend. Scott smiled as well, bringing his morpher to his mouth.

"How long until you guys are done?" he asked.

"_Reprogramming the key is a lot easier with three heads,_" Gem's voice answered. _"And Ronny finished her part is record time."_

"_Downloading it to Dillon now!"_ Kaylee added.

"To me?" Dillon frowned.

"_Do you think you'll be able to grab Summer and hold her against her will as she screams for you to let go?"_ Kaylee asked.

"No," Dillon answered, lowering his head.

"_I know this is going to be hard, Dillon, but it's for Summer's own good._"

Dillon received the key and the weapon in his hands. Looking down, he saw a slingshot where the blaster should be.

"_Change of plans," _Ronny told him before he could question the weapon of choice. _"A slingshot's going to be powerful enough."_

Dillon trusted the driver and looked at Summer. She was in over her head as all the Rangers grabbed her, keeping her in place.

"Let me go!" Summer screamed, trying to shake them off.

T15 heard her partner's cries and tried to help, but a quick blast from Hannah and a kick to the chest from Tenaya reminded her she had her own battle.

"Whatever your plan is, hybrid, it's not going to work. Summer and I are an inseparable team," she smirked.

Dillon watched with a heavy heart as Summer tried pulling away from her friends. He placed the key in the slingshot and pulled back. Just as he was about to fire, he stopped. There was no way he could hurt Summer.

Hannah shot T15 once more, allowing Tenaya to get the upper hand so she could go help Dillon.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked him. "Shoot!"

"I can't," Dillon sighed, lowering the weapon. Hannah grabbed him roughly and growled.

"Fine, leave her to be controlled and manipulated by Venjix," she said. "I'm sure, deep down, that's what she always wanted to be. A tool for an even bigger tool! If you don't hurt her now, Venjix will do more that blast her when he's done with her!"

"It's not that easy!"

"Look, I've never been in love," Hannah stated, "But I do know that sometimes you gotta do what's best for the other person, even if it hurts them now."

Summer pulled one arm free, throwing Mike and Dani on the ground. Flynn quickly caught the arm, holding her in place while the others brought Summer to her knees.

"Dillon, shoot her!" Hayden screamed, holding her cousin. "I know it hurts, but you have to!"

"They can't hold her for long," Hannah whispered, "And once they let go, Summer's gone. This might just be your one shot to bring Summer home. It's your turn to save her."

Dillon nodded, aiming the slingshot at Summer.

"I'm sorry sunshine," he breathed while taking his shot. The key flew forward, pushing itself into Summer's chest as the yellow Ranger fell limp. Mike picked her up and gave her to Ziggy. Ziggy pushed the green button on his morpher.

"Teleport!" he called out, returning to the base before the key ran out.

"Come on guys, we better get back as well," Scott ordered, catching Tenaya as she was thrown across the battle field by T15.

-----RPM-----

Dillon and Hayden both rushed into the garage, eager to see if their plan to save Summer had worked, until they heard an ear-piercing scream. Fearing the worst, Dillon ran onto the lab and Hayden stopped in her tracks. Flynn and Mike caught up to her.

"What was that?" Mike asked.

Just as Dillon reached the door it was blown off its hinges by yellow sound waves. Ziggy and Samantha went flying, landing right beside the three.

Hayden helped her sister up, grabbing her arms and looking at her desperately, "What's going on?" she asked.

"It's the spirit from the key," Samantha breathed, "It's hurting her."


	18. Spirit Sickness

Dillon ran into the lab, finding the twins, Rebecca, Kaylee and Ronny on the ground, holding their hands to their ears, and Summer, screaming in pain and tied to the recline chair. Dillon tried to make his way over to her, but the pain from her screams was intense.

The other Rangers, Sam and Tenaya joined him by the door. Upon hearing the sonic screams, Tenaya dropped to her knees. Hannah dropped beside her.

"Ten, are you okay?" she asked.

"The waves are messing with my systems," Tenaya exclaimed. Hannah nodded, pulling her away from the door and around the corner.

"You stay here," Hannah told her.

"I can get to her," Daniela smiled, closing the door so the sound wasn't bothersome while she told the others her plans. "Remember the sound bot?"

"Of course we do," Ziggy frowned, rubbing his ears, "Kira and Kaylee's songs have been playing in my head ever since!"

"I can run at the speed of light! I can get past the sound waves!"

"No, you can beat them," Greg frowned, "You can reach the source before the waves reach you. But Summer's already screaming, before you can get into the room she'll have you on the floor."

"What if we stop time?" Flynn asked.

"Or slow it down!" Hayden suggested. "Flynn, if you can stop time for ten seconds, do you think you can slow it down for fifteen?"

"I don't know," Flynn shrugged. Greg smirked.

"That's why you have me," he said, "Give me your engine cell."

Flynn handed his blue cell to Greg, popping it open and changing the wires around.

"What are you doing?" Dillon asked. Greg put the cell together and Flynn placed it back in his morpher.

"There, I've rewired it," Greg explained, "It'll no longer stops time but slow it down to almost to a standstill. And because it doesn't need as much power, it can last longer."

"How much longer?" Flynn asked.

"Three extra seconds," Greg said. He turned to Daniela, "Flynn's going to slow time then the two of you are going to need to knock Summer out."

"Hit her in the head like she does to me all the time," Daniela grinned, "I got it."

"Be careful with her," Dillon hissed.

Daniela nodded patting Dillon on the shoulder.

Flynn grabbed his morpher and pressed the blue button, slowing down time for everyone but him. He walked over to Daniela, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Daniela, are you there?" he asked her. Daniela suddenly jumped up and down, giggling.

"Oh, I'm faster than time!" she laughed.

"Come on, lass, we've only got a few more seconds," Flynn said. He opened the door to the lab and stepped in. Because time was slowed, the sound waves from Summer's sonic scream were slowed as well, leaving yellow waves in the air. Daniela ran ahead of Flynn, ducking under and jumping over the waves.

"This is fun!" she giggled, finally reaching Summer. She looked down at her cousin as Flynn called out the final five seconds. Daniela didn't want to hurt Summer too badly, but had to knock her out. She decided to pinch Summer between the neck and shoulder, pressing on the pressure point. As time restarted, the screaming stopped and Summer passed out.

Rebecca didn't question what happened and grabbed the wand to run scans on Summer.

"We've got to pull the key out of Summer's chest before she wakes," she announced, moving back to her computer.

"I can do that," Samantha called. "But what state is she going to be in when she wakes up?"

"You're the spirit Angel," Rebecca shrugged.

Samantha nodded, moving over to her cousin.

"When I pull out the key, we have to destroy it and the spirit," she said, "If not, it could get someone else."

Tenaya attached her laser to her hand and smiled, "I can take care of that," she answered, "You just focus on pulling out the key."

Placing a hand on her little cousin's chest, Samantha drew the key out slowly, trying to make the process as painless as possible. Samantha winced when she saw Summer's face twist slightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as the key appeared in her hand and Summer seemed to relax. Sam quickly tossed the key to Tenaya, who blasted it in mid air. Samantha watched the spirit inside as it was blasted as well.

Just to be on the safe side, Greg grabbed the pieces and locked them in a containment pod. He went to the printer and pressed a few buttons to print a label for the container. He stuck it on and showed the team.

"Never open this," he told everyone and placed the container on one of the back shelves.

Summer started to stir as she came to. She tried to move, but felt she was strapped down to the table. Panic took over and she started to scream.

"LET ME GO!" she yelled, thrashing around. Kaylee and Dillon ran to her side, unclipping the restraints. As soon as she was freed, Summer jumped into Dillon's arms and sobbed on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered through the tears.

"I know, Sunshine," Dillon said softly, holding her in his arms and playing with her hair to calm her. "It wasn't your fault."

"Are you okay?" Kaylee asked her niece gently. "How are you feeling?"

Summer didn't want to answer. She shook her head, pulling away from her aunt and closer to Dillon. Dillon felt her shaking in his arms and felt the need to protect her, even from her aunt.

"I'll take her to her room so she can rest," he said, "Until then, no one talks to her."

"Is the spirit destroyed?" Scott asked his girlfriend, watching Dillon take Summer away.

"Yeah," she nodded, "Finally."

"So, spirits don't die?"

Samantha shook her head, "That's how Engel's with me today," she said. "My mother's spirit needed a new body. While she had the power, and before she left us, she must have made the baby. When Dai Shi unleashed his hold on her, she took her chance, giving the baby life and her spirit a body."

"That's confusing," Scott laughed softly, "but I guess it's a good thing."

"So, how do you destroy a spirit if it can't die?" Mike asked, cradling a happy Engel.

"Same way I destroyed Dai Shi," Samantha smirked, taking her daughter, "You lock them back up, deep, deep into the dark forest."

"Mama," Engel giggled, grabbing her mother's hair and tugging on it.

"Ow, let go, baby girl," Samantha said as Mike tried to help his cousin out.

-----RPM-----

Upstairs, Summer sat on her bed, playing with her hands while Dillon closed the blinds to keep the light from bugging her.

"There," he said, running his hand down the last set of blinds and closing them. "Now you can sleep. I'll turn off the light when I leave..."

"Keep the light on," Summer whispered. Dillon turned to her and sighed sadly. She looked so small sitting on her bed with his jacket draped over her shoulder and her hair falling in front of her face.

"Only if you're sure," Dillon smiled. He took his spot beside Summer on the bed and pulled her on his lap. "Are you okay?"

"I feel a little sick," Summer said, "But I guess it's better than before."

Summer pulled away from Dillon, climbing over to her pillow and hugging it to her chest, "Look, Dillon, about all this... I'm really sorry. Everything I did and everything I said... it wasn't me... I didn't mean it..."

"Summer, don't worry about it," Dillon smiled, scooting over to her but keeping his distance. He could tell Summer was uncomfortable and he didn't want to make matters worse. "I know it wasn't you. Don't you remember, not too long ago I was the one falling prey to Venjix. Don't get worked up about it."

"I guess," Summer breathed. Dillon kissed her forehead and pushed her down into the bed. He pulled the blankets over her and smiled.

"Get some rest," he told her, "You'll feel better in the morning."

Dillon kissed her gently on the lips and waited for her to get comfortable before leaving the room. he closed the door slowly and ran into Hayden who was on her way in.

"Don't bug her," he frowned, standing in her way. "She needs to sleep."

"I need to talk to her," Hayden said, "I promise I'll let her sleep, but it's important."

"It can wait," Dillon pressed.

"No, it can't," Hayden retorted. Dillon looked down at the brunette. She was persistent and determined and he knew it was going to take a lot to make her back down.

"Why are you so involved?" he asked. Hayden gave him a knowing look.

"I'm involved because Summer's my family," she answered, "And I'll do anything to keep her safe."

"Then let her sleep," Dillon smirked. Hayden shook her head.

"I will, but I really need to talk to her and it can't wait! You're not the only one who was scared."

"Five minutes," Dillon said.

"Ten."

"Seven."

"Twenty."

"Nine."

"Half an hour."

Dillon took a big breathe, "Fine, ten minutes."

The brooding bad boy stepped out of the way, opening the door quietly for Hayden to get in. The pink Ranger closed the door when she was inside and saw her cousin trying to sleep.

"Summer," she whispered, "Are you awake?"

"What's wrong, Hayden?" Summer yawned, opening her eyes. Hayden shrugged.

"I just want to make sure you're okay," she said, "I was really scared."

Summer smiled slightly, sitting up in her bed so Hayden could sit at the end.

"I'm fine," she said, "I just need a little sleep."

"I know... sorry I had to bug you."

Summer noticed the strange tone Hayden was taking, and the nervous expression on her face. That usually never happened for the brunette unless there was really something troubling her.

"What's wrong, kiddo? You don't look so good yourself," she said.

"I told you, I was really scared," Hayden answered, "I didn't want to lose you... you know."

"I didn't want to lose me either," Summer chuckled, "But I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Hayden asked the older girl. "Do you need anything to drink... what about food?"

"Hayden, it's okay, I'll be fine after a little sleep," Summer assured the pink Ranger. Hayden nodded.

"I guess I'll leave you then," she said.

"No," Summer shook her head, grabbing her cousin's arm and pulling her back down, "Not until you tell me what's gotten into you."

"I was scared..."

"Full story, Mayday," Summer interrupted, "Unlike Aunt Kelly, I care about the details. Now spill."

"Dillon was being stupid and he was our only hope to get you back and I really wanted you back because I know I have an older sister but she's only been around for less than a year and you've been with me my entire life and now you're even a part of my family and I didn't want to lose you," Hayden said in one breathe.

Summer smiled, tearing up. She and Hayden had always been as close as sisters, but they always called each other cousins. It was nice for her to hear Hayden call her a sister and a member of her direct family. She pulled her cousin in close.

"You're cute for a seventeen year old, you know that?" she laughed.

"I know," Hayden answered, making Summer laugh a little harder. "But I really mean it, Sum. You and Sammy Jr. have been like awesome older sisters to me long before my own sister came back, and even now you're still a big sister. Remember the weeks of hippos?"

"Oh God," Summer groaned, falling back into her pillow and slamming her head against it. "The most painful two weeks of my life! Sammy owes me big time!"

"You're one of the bestest big sisters I can ask for, and I didn't want to lose that," Hayden smiled, hugging her big sister. "And Venjix and T15 can't ever have you."

"They won't," Summer laughed.

Hayden got off the bed and smiled at the yellow Ranger, "Thanks, Summer. I'll let you sleep now."

"Good, cause I'm wiped," Summer said. "I'll talk to you guys in a few hours."

-----RPM-----

Samantha and Mike were playing with their little daughter after Samantha offered Tenaya a change of clothes. As _fun_ as it must have been for the hybrid to wear her suit all day, Samantha thought she could use a change of style now that she had changed sides.

Tenaya came out of the bathroom, dropping her old uniform by the laundry room and joining the two parents. Engel was walking along the couches with a smile on her face while Mike gently pushed her into the cushions, making her laugh.

Tenaya looked down at the baby and smiled.

"What's her name?" she asked the parents.

Samantha saw Tenaya, "You look good in normal clothes," she said, "Her name's Evangeline, but we call her Engel."

"Engel... wasn't that..."

"The Great Master's name?" Mike frowned, "Yeah... this is her."

"It... it is?" Tenaya asked, dropping beside the baby, who had turned around so she was leaning with her back against the couch. "But I thought Dai Shi had killed her."

"You can't kill the Great Master," Samantha said, "Her spirit lives on in this child."

Engel clapped her hands and grabbed Tenaya's hair, pulling on it. Tenaya winced in pain while Mike helped her out of the baby's death grip.

"C'mon, Engel, that's not funny," Mike gently scolded the little girl. "You play nicely."

Engel grabbed her father's fingers and started waving them. Mike laughed, kissing the little girl's hand.

"How old is she?" Tenaya asked, rubbing her head. Apparently pulling her hair was common now that she joined the Rangers.

"Nine months," Samantha answered, "Almost ten."

"She's cute," Tenaya smiled.

"I think she likes you," Mike laughed, "You don't have to be nervous around her."

"You think she likes me? How can you tell?"

"She pulled your hair," Samantha nodded, "She only pulls the hair of her Aunts, Uncles when she can, and me and Mike. If she pulls on your hair it's because she wants your attention."

"She wants my attention? But... she doesn't know me."

"Babies can be trusting," Mike smiled, "But they are good judges of character. You should introduce yourself to her."

Tenaya shrugged, extending her hand. Engel looked at it for a moment, before grabbing it and putting it in her mouth. Tenaya pulled away, wiping off the spit.

Mike laughed, offering her a towel, "I meant by talking to her, but that works."

"She doesn't talk though," Tenaya frowned.

"Well, she babbles," Samantha smirked, "You learn to understand it, right Engel?"

Engel let out a long rant with her cute little baby talk. Tenaya looked down in awe.

"What did she say?" she asked the parents. Samantha shrugged.

"I have no idea," she laughed, "But she's happy, that's all I care about."

"Hey, why don't you tell her your name?" Mike suggested, smiling at Tenaya. "She can already say mama and dada. I don't think it would be too hard for her to try Tenaya, or some variation of it."

Samantha knew Tenaya wasn't going to know how to talk to a baby, so she did the introduction for her.

"Hey, Angel, this is Tenaya," she said, pointing to the woman beside her, "Tenaya's mommy and daddy's friend. Can you say Tenaya?"

Engel babbled on once more, seemingly happy.

"Good try, baby girl, but we want Tenaya."

"Maya," Engel smiled, poking Tenaya's nose. Samantha laughed, she expected something more along the lines of Naya, but Maya was going to have to do.

"That's really cute," Tenaya laughed. Engel grabbed her black hair and started to pull once more. "Ow, Engel that hurts."

Tenaya playfully, and very gently, pushed Engel into the cushion on the couch and tickled her stomach. Engel let out a loud laugh, letting go of Tenaya's hair and grabbing her hands to push them away.

Tenaya heard the baby's laugh and her heart melted. This was what Venjix wanted to destroy; a sweet, innocent child? His sights were set on children exactly, but these children were the victims of his attacks and he had destroyed their future.

The hybrid looked into the eyes of the baby girl, who was looking back at her lovingly.

Suddenly, Engel let out another long rant while pointing at Tenaya. Though she had no idea what the baby said, Tenaya knew it was something sweet. In praise, she tickled the little girl on the neck.

"You're a cutie pie," she laughed.

-----RPM-----

Hayden stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her slowly and running into Dillon.

"Your time was almost up," he said. Hayden frowned, looking back at the door, then at Dillon.

"Were you spying on me?" she asked.

"Summer needs her sleep," Dillon frowned, "I want to make sure she gets it."

"And she is, I promise," Hayden assured the bad boy. "I just had something I needed to get off my chest."

"Don't you have an older sister to help you with that?" Dillon asked. Hayden smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I do."

With a giddy grin, Hayden skipped down the stairs, joining her mother and Aunt in the kitchen. Dillon watched her go and sighed.

"Oddball," he muttered.

-----RPM-----

Night had fallen over the city of Corinth and Summer was starting to wake. She rolled over in bed and grabbed her clock, checking the time. She groaned loudly when she realised it was only nine at night. Now there was going to be no way she would sleep through the night.

She dragged herself out of bed and saw that none of the girls had gone to bed yet. At least she was going to have someone to talk to.

Her feet hit the floor and she pushed herself into a standing position, feeling her head spinning for a few seconds. Summer sank back onto the bed, waiting for the dizziness to clear.

She was still feeling sick. She didn't understand why. Aside from serving Venjix and getting key rammed into her body, she had no reason to be feeling so ill.

She was lucky when she finally made her way downstairs and saw her uncle was giving Scott a check up. She walked over to the two with a ghost of a smile, attracting their attention.

"Hey, Summer, how are you feeling?" Scott asked, putting his shirt back on when the exam was done.

"Not very well, actually," Summer answered honestly, taking a seat beside Scott. She looked up at David, "I don't know what it is?"

"What me to have a look?" Doc asked, "I still have my stuff handy."

"That would be great," Summer nodded.

Doc smiled, running a few tests. He checked her temperature, her pupils and her blood pressure. He made sure she was in normal condition for a girl who had just gotten home from serving an evil computer virus.

"You seem alright," he told her when he was done.

"She's not alright, though, is she?" Scott asked. He knew there was a fine line between seemingly okay, and actually okay.

"I'm thinking it's not a physical illness..." Doc started.

"Are you saying Summer's mentally ill?" Daniela asked, popping up from nowhere with a stethoscope around her neck. "I knew it!"

"She's not mentally ill," Doc frowned, grabbing the tool from Daniela. She huffed, crossing her arms. "I've been told there was a spirit linked to the key and it passed inside you."

"But Samantha said it was destroyed," Scott said, rolling his eyes as Dani snatched the stethoscope from her father, placing it in her ears and flicking the bottom.

"Hey, didn't Uncle RJ and Aunt Kelly go through the same thing?" Dani frowned, looking at her father. "Heather told me that when her parents were Rangers, Uncle RJ was turned into a werewolf and he attacked Aunt Kelly..."

"What is with your family?" Scott asked jokingly.

"We're weird," Dani answered, "Anyways; Heather told me that it was Uncle RJ's spirit attacking Aunt Kelly, even though his spirit was with him. It was... a leftover!"

"I have a leftover spirit in my body?" Summer looked down at her chest, rubbing it slowly, "I don't like the sound of that."

"I don't either," David agreed. "Kelly went through a pretty hard time."

"I'll go get Sammy," Daniela called, running to the door, still with the stethoscope in hand, "She's got an animal spirit. Maybe she can rid you of yours."

"I don't have a spirit," Summer said.

"That's why I'm scared," David breathed.

Daniela bolted to the nursery and found Mike and Samantha putting Engel to sleep. She ran over to Samantha and shook the older girl.

"Paging Angel Samantha to the Garage!" Daniela called to her cousin. "We need you, stat!"

"Are you playing make-believe again?" Samantha groaned, touching the medical device around Daniela's neck.

"Yes... but that doesn't change how important it is for you to get downstairs!" Daniela pressed while grabbing Samantha's wrists and pulling her to the door.

"No more caffeine for you, Nascar," Samantha groaned, following her cousin.

"It's an emergency!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Samantha said.

When the two girls were gone Mike looked down at Engel in the crib and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Engel. It seems crazy is hereditary."

Engel let go of her feet and sighed. Mike laughed, kissing her cheek before leaving her to nap.

Downstairs, Daniela pulled her oldest cousin into the garage, stopping right in front of Summer and her father.

"I told you I would get her," she beamed. Doc smiled and nodded until he saw the stethoscope.

"Daniela Marks," he growled, extending his hand. Dani pouted, taking the tool and handing it back to her father. "You know this isn't a toy."

"But it's fun," Dani frowned. Doc rolled his eyes, sending her away.

"So, Dani told me it was an emergency," Samantha said. She saw Scott sitting on the bench and she started to shake.

"Sammy, I'm fine," Scott smiled as he made his way over to her and held her in his arms. "But we think there might be leftover spirit in Summer. Can you take care of that?"

Samantha nodded, putting her hand on Summer's head to try and locate a spirit. She did feel a small trace of something and pulled it out. She sent it up to the skies so it could live on either in the spirit world of the dark forest.

Just as she pulled her hand off, the lights flickered on an off momentarily, before cutting completely. In the dark, Samantha called.

"That was not me!"


	19. Tenaya's Home

"Okay, who turned off the power?" Kaylee called from the couch, sitting in the dark with her legs and arms crossed. She had been watching her favourite sit-com when the power shut off the TV and the lights. "Seriously, turn it on!"

"I'll go check the systems," Ronny frowned, patting her sister's leg as she got off the couch. "As soon as I can see where I'm... ow! stool, there is a stool right there!"

"Ha, sucker," Kaylee giggled.

"Aunt Ronny?" Hannah asked, shining a flashlight at her Aunt and holding another one in her other hand. "What are you doing?"

"Apparently I'm running into stools in the dark," Ronny grumbled. Hannah laughed, tossing her Aunt the extra flashlight.

"And they say wisdom comes with age," Hannah chuckled. Ronny stuck her tongue out at the young niece before going to the basement.

"If you're so smart, cub, then what happened to the power?" Kaylee asked her niece.

Hannah shrugged, "It was cut."

Kaylee cursed under her breathe, "Damn you, Hannah."

"If you meant to ask, why did the power go out, then I would answer with 'I have no idea', and you would reply and say, 'AHA'!"

Kaylee's jaw dropped open as she glared at the young girl.

"Get out of my sight, smarty-pants," she teased. Hannah shrugged and obliged so she could check up on the others.

The emergency lights flickered on, giving the old mentor a little more sight, but the room was still pretty dark.

"Aunt K!" Mike called softly from the top of the stairs, "What happened?"

"Ask your cousin," Kaylee joked. Mike slowly walked down the stairs, careful not to trip and fall and approached his Aunt.

"Is it just us that lost power, or the city?" he asked.

"Good question," Kaylee pondered, "I think I should..."

"No need," Rebecca said, stepping out of the lab with a frustrated look on her face, "When the power blew the back-up generators for my computer kicked in. With a simple scan of the city I was able to determine that everyone is suffering from this massive blackout."

"What about the shields?" Ronny came up from the basement and asked the young doctor. "If they're down then Venjix will be having a party. Not to mention T15 and Kilobyte."

"Thankfully I've planned ahead," Kaylee grinned. "I kinda figured something like this would happen at some point, so I made sure the city generators would be powerful enough to work the emergency lights and fully power the shield to keep out an attack."

"Fully power, as in no in or out?" Mike asked. Kaylee nodded happily.

"You couldn't have foreseen the famine instead?" Rebecca frowned. "By comparison, a famine is much more of a threat to the city than a simple blackout. At least the Rangers can eat and keep up their strengths in case of a breach."

"I don't think right under pressure," Kaylee mumbled, "But, hey, as long as the power is cut and the shields are super powered, we're on vacation."

"Someone's got to keep an eye on the city..."

"Gem and Gemma can do it," Kaylee smirked, "I'm sure they won't mind a little alone time in the lab and a few extra hours of boom in a day."

Rebecca nodded, but with a slight frown, "What will I do then?" she asked, "Without any real power, I can't work on upgrading new Ranger technology."

Mike breathed in happily, wrapping his arm around the younger girl.

"Dr. K, we're going to teach you how to live," he said, "Follow me, and I'll show you a world without the lab coat."

Rebecca ducked under his arm, pulling away from him.

"Michael, I'm not a hermit. I do know how society functions..."

"I'll set you up to play a board game with Ziggy," Mike proposed.

"Do you really think you can manipulate me by offering me to play one of your _board games_ with the Ranger I find most annoying?"

"But, you love him," Mike said.

"I... I have yet to determine my true feelings for him."

Kaylee, Ronny and Mike laughed and exchanged glances. Kaylee walked over the young girl and smiled.

"That, my dear girl, is what we call a crush," she explained, "And the only way you'll figure out those feelings are by engaging yourself in conversation with the apple of your eye."

"Ziggy?" Dr. K frowned.

"We all know you like him," Ronny pestered playfully while poking the young girl, "I say we make the best of this blackout and turn it into couple's night part two."

"Agreed," everyone nodded, going their separate ways to spread the news.

-----RPM-----

"Sammy, what did you do?" Scott laughed, finding his girlfriend in the dark and pulling her close.

"Nothing, I didn't do it!"

"I'm just teasing," Scott smiled, kissing her on the lips.

Summer was afraid to jump off the bench because she couldn't see the tip of her nose, never mind the ground. Thankfully, Doc extended his hand to help her off. When she was down, he held into her and moved towards the door.

"Come on Romeo and Juliet," he called after Scott and Sam, "Let's figure out what happened."

Everyone had the same idea as them as the large group gathered in the seating area. Hannah rested a few flashlights on the coffee table so everyone could see clearly.

"We have determined the problem," Kaylee assured the Rangers.

"Um, mom, it's pretty obvious," Hayden laughed, pointing to the lights, "It's a blackout. We need a solution."

"The solution is that we enjoy this time off," Kaylee smirked, "Don't worry about shield breaches; we've got enough emergency power to keep them running on full."

"And you guys deserve a break," Ronny nodded, "It's been a hectic month."

"Very hectic," Greg agreed.

"Just, go enjoy yourselves, take a little time to relax," Kaylee ordered. "Gem, Gemma, if you guys want, you can monitor the city just in case Venjix or T15 pull a sneaky."

"Aw, but that sounds..."

"... boring," the twins frowned.

"If you put Becca's computer away safely you can enjoy extended boom hour while you keep an eye on the city," Kaylee offered.

"Well..." Gem started, looking over at his sister.

"... when you put it that way..." Gemma continued with a smile.

"OKAY!" they both agreed, disappearing into the lab.

"The rest of you can enjoy a little alone time, if you know what I mean," Kaylee smirked, winking at the young teens. Some of them had smirks on their faces when they say the wink, and Kaylee quickly added, "But I don't mean that. Engel's the only baby I want to see until I'm eighty, got it!"

"Got it," everyone nodded, heading their separate ways.

-----RPM-----

Scott and Samantha went to the roof to look out at the city. There was very little light shining down from the dome as only the emergency lights were on.

Scott sat on the angled roof and pulled Samantha close, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. Samantha kissed his hand and leaned back into his chest.

"I'm glad that key thing didn't turn out too bad," she told him, looking out at the city. "I was really scared."

"You know you're not going to lose me, right?" Scott laughed. Samantha turned to him with a sad look on her face.

"My mother always told me that," she whispered, "And I believed it. Suddenly, I learn that not only is she dead, but she was murdered and her body was being used as Dai Shi's vessel."

"That was a freak accident..." Scott started, but Samantha cut him off.

"My mother was never supposed to die, but she did," she said, "And Hayden, my little sister who's never supposed to get hurt has been in the hospital more than the rest of us! I can't help it if I don't believe you when you say I'll never lose you."

"But, Sammy, you didn't lose your mother, not fully at least," Scott smiled, "She may be a baby, but she's still with you."

"I guess..."

"And Hayden's still alive and well," Scott said. He let out a small chuckle as he continued, "Much to Dillon's dismay."

"He finds her highly annoying," Samantha agreed, "And that's saying something considering he's put up with Ziggy for longer."

"What I'm getting at, Sammy, is that they are never really gone," Scott said, getting back to a serious note, "Unless my brother."

"You're brother's up there," Samantha said, looking to the skies, "Up there, somewhere. And he's looking down at you, proud of what you've become."

"You're just saying that," Scott frowned. Samantha nodded.

"Yeah, I am," she said, "But that doesn't mean it's not true. You save Corinth every single day! You lead the Rangers to victory and you have the coolest hair of all! That is something to be proud of."

"The victory or the hair?" Scott asked, combing his hand over his hair, "Because this hair does not take care of itself."

"Both are awesome," Samantha said, leaning over to kiss him. He pulled her on her lap and held her tight.

-----RPM-----

Hayden pulled Flynn into kitchen, pulling out a few fruits and the blender. Flynn sat down on a barstool and watched her. He noticed her joyous mood, a huge change from her dark and depressed attitude from a few moments ago.

"Are you bi-polar?" he asked her jokingly as Hayden dropped a few strawberries into the blender. She looked up at him and shook her head.

"I don't know, my mom never took me for any sanity tests," she said, "Mom thinks that normal doesn't exist and we're all weird in our own ways."

"Aye, but you're mum's a weirdo," Flynn laughed.

"That's why I love her," Hayden nodded.

"So, why the change of mood?" Flynn asked, "I know you're happy Summer's home, but you seem... very happy."

"I talked with Summer," Hayden said, "I told her I was really scared when she was gone, and I was really honest with her."

"Honest?"

"I told her she was my sister," Hayden smiled, "Like... more of a sister than Samantha."

"You just lost me," Flynn frowned. Hayden laughed.

"Summer's been around my whole life. On the sister scale, she's got a higher grade than Sammy," Hayden explained, "Kinda like how Sammy's real mom is my mom, but her mother is Engel."

"I better rethink commitment into your family," Flynn said jokingly while playing with a little box tucked away in his pocket, "You all seem confusing."

"You would get used to it," Hayden laughed, waving off his comment as if it were nothing. Flynn knew it wasn't nothing. He had flat out told Hayden about commitment into her family, and not just her, and she didn't seem to react strangely at all.

"What about your father?" Flynn asked with a smirk, "Is he a real dad to Samantha?"

"She did have a spirit father," Hayden said, "But yeah, my real dad and Sammy have the normal father-daughter relationship."

"What about you and your father?" Flynn asked.

"My dad is super protective of me," Hayden laughed, "I was his only real daughter after his first one died."

Hayden set two glasses down, filled with fruit smoothies. She sat beside Flynn and noticed him pull his hand right out of his pocket. Thinking nothing of it, she looked at him.

"Why?"

Nervous, Flynn looked back at her, "Why what?"

"Why are you asking about my dad?" she said.

"I just... we're dating, Hay, I wanna know if he likes me."

"He loves you," Hayden smiled, kissing Flynn on the cheek, "At first, not so much, but you got bonus points for being Scottish..."

"Great," Flynn laughed.

"And," Hayden continued, "My dad grew to liking you. You don't have to worry about him giving you the stink eye or anything."

"Thanks, Hayden," Flynn said, pulling his girl into a big bear hug. He knew what he was going to do next.

-----RPM-----

Tenaya sat by the couches, watching the various Rangers walk past her. Kaylee was sitting across from her, reading a book. Or at least, that's what it looked like at first glance. Every few seconds, Kaylee would flip a few pages ahead, look at something there then flip back, past where she was, and giggle.

"What are you doing?" Tenaya finally asked. Kaylee looked up at her then flipped the book around.

"It's my old journal," Kaylee said, handing the book to Tenaya so she could see, "When I was sixteen I started at the Wind Ninja Academy, and as a first year student, Sensei asked me to write down my lessons and my thoughts in a private journal. Being a responsible student meant I did my work."

"So, for a year you wrote what you did during the day?" Tenaya asked.

"For my Ranger career," Kaylee smirked, taking the book back, "Every once in a while, maybe once a week, or at the end of the month, I would write down what happened, just to keep track."

"And now you can look back on your life and..." Tenaya paused and took the journal back from Kaylee. She looked down at it intently as memories flooded through her head.

"I remember where I'm from," she smiled, "I don't know how... but this book is making me remember where Venjix found me... what if I have a book like this."

"Well, then, Miss Ten," Kaylee grinned, hopping off the couch and running to her car, "Feel like going for a drive? Was the area in the city, or am I going to have to pull a few strings?"

"You would do that for me?" Tenaya asked, following the mentor.

"You're family," Kaylee nodded, "Of course I would."

"I think it's in the city," Tenaya said.

"Okay, then I can take the baby," Kaylee grinned, "I wasn't about to bring her into the wastes. I'll be right back with a baby and a car seat, you just sit shotgun."

"Shotgun?" Tenaya looked at the car nervously. Kaylee laughed.

"Sorry, front seat."

Kaylee ran upstairs and disappeared into the nursery. Tenaya didn't take her seat in the car; instead she walked over to Kaylee's work desk. It was going to be a few minutes before Kaylee got Engel ready for a car ride and alerted the parents.

Tenaya didn't intend on sneaking around Kaylee's stuff, not while she was still on unofficial probation, but something drew her eye. The drawer of the desk was open, and there was a book resting inside. Curiosity got the better of her and Tenaya opened the book.

To Tenaya, it looked like a picture book, filled with pictures of Kaylee's family and friends, old and current.

There was even a page honouring the people Kaylee had lost. Tenaya assumed the older man and women were her parents.

There were two pages stuck together after that. Tenaya frowned, gently breaking them apart to look at the picture inside. She could tell by the picture colour that the pages hadn't been looked at in a while. While the rest of the book had pages with a faded white, maybe even yellow tinted colour, the two pages here were still at their original white.

There were a couple of pictures on these two pages. Most were of Dustin, Kaylee's husband, and another woman. At first, Tenaya thought the pages were stuck together because maybe Dustin had an affair with this woman, and Kaylee didn't want to see it. But when she looked closely, she could see a few genetic resemblances: hair colour, eye colour, similar jaw line and noses. They even shared the same smile as they looked down at a beautiful baby, wrapped in a pink blanket.

Tenaya felt a connection to this picture. She pulled it off the page, stuffing it in her pocket so she could look at it later. Just before closing the book, she caught sight of the writing underneath the picture.

_Dawn Sierra Matthews, February 2, 2010._

Kaylee's footsteps echoed as she came down the stairs, reminding Tenaya that she had to put the book back. She did so quickly and moved back to the car before Kaylee spotted her.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

Tenaya nodded and smiled, hopping into the car while Kaylee set up the car seat.


	20. Chance

Mike and Hannah were busy walking around the garage. Talking seemed to suffice for the two cousins as they passed by their Aunt's office.

"So, with Summer back I guess your reign as a Ranger is over," Mike started, stopping in front of the desk to lean on it. Hannah looked up at him sadly.

"It was fun," she nodded, "I'm kind of upset it's over. Too bad my parents won't let me stay full time."

"Why not? Being a Ranger is perfectly awesome!"

"Yeah, but dangerous," Hannah frowned, "My dad's gone paranoid because not only am I putting my life at risk, but apparently I've got an intolerance."

"An... you're not allergic to anything," Mike said. Hannah sighed deeply, looking up at the older boy.

"In-to-ler-ance," she pronounced slowly, "My body can't tolerate it."

"Ri-ight," Mike nodded. His hands moved onto the desk, gently brushing against the book that had been placed sloppily back in the drawer. The top stuck out slightly. Mike looked down as Hannah noticed and grabbed the book.

"Isn't this Aunt Kaylee's?" she asked, opening the book and flipping through the pages, "What is it doing out in the open like this?"

"I don't know," Mike said. He grabbed the book from the fifteen year old girl, "But don't look through it. Aunt K's sensitive about it."

"Hey, no, give it back," Hannah said, reaching for the book. "Two pages were stuck together. I wanna see what was in there."

"No," Mike frowned, holding the book away from Hannah, "Aunt K will flip..."

"She'll never find out," Hannah smiled. Mike backed down, handing Hannah the book. She flipped through it quickly, trying to locate the two pages stuck together. When she did find it, she slipped her nail in between and popped it open slightly. Gently, she tore the two pages apart, revealing the two pages that had been hidden for years.

"It's just a bunch of pictures of Uncle Dustin and Sierra," Mike said, looking over Hannah's shoulder.

"Who's Sierra?"

"Uncle Dustin's sister," Mike explained, "You've heard about her. Uncle Dustin's mentioned her a few times. Hayden's not particularly fond of that side of the family though."

"Why not?" Hannah asked.

"Well, her and Dawn never really got along," Mike started, "Dawn was Sierra's daughter. Anyways, both Hayden and Dawn were a little... headstrong, and they didn't seem to agree on anything. They got on each other's nerves and next thing anyone knew, they couldn't even be in the same room anymore, that's why Hayden's always spending Christmas and X-measter with us."

"What about this Sierra woman?" Hannah frowned, "Wouldn't she be Hayden's aunt? Do they see each other?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, "all the time. But they kept Dawn and Hayden apart."

"Kept?" Hannah asked, "Did... did Dawn pass away in the evacuations?"

"She was living with her father when the evacuation happened," Mike answered, "I... You know, I don't know what happened after that. Uncle Dustin never spoke about Dawn again once Venjix attacked... it's weird."

Hannah looked back at the book and frowned when she noticed a picture had been taken away. She pointed it out to Mike.

-----RPM-----

"Here," Tenaya said, walking up to the front yard of a house, "On this spot... this is where I see myself dying."

Kaylee looked at the house Tenaya was pointing too and frowned, "Um, that's my sister in-law's house."

"Odd," Tenaya breathed, "Does it make a difference?"

"Sierra built that house on the spot where her daughter died," Kaylee stated. "It's probably just coincidence."

"Well, is it's your sister in-law... do you think I could go inside?" Tenaya asked. Maybe... maybe just standing on the exact spot will trigger something."

"I can try," Kaylee nodded, "Come on."

-----RPM-----

Flynn nervously walked up to his girlfriend's front door and knocked, seeing as the doorbell didn't work in the blackout. Hayden was back at the Ranger base. Flynn was actually here to talk with Dustin. He played with the little box in his pocket as Dustin answered the door.

"Flynn, dude, how's it going?" Dustin asked, patting the boy on the back. "You know Hayden's back at the base."

"I know, Mr. Brooks," Flynn nodded, "I'm actually here to talk to you."

"Oh," Dustin frowned. He stepped aside to let the blue boy in. "Well, come into the living room."

Flynn walked in and followed Dustin into the living room. He took a seat on the couch, while Dustin took the chair.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Dustin asked.

Flynn took a deep breath, "Mr. Brooks... you know I love your daughter, right?"

"I hope so," Dustin said, "If not, then we've got a real problem here."

"I really love her, Mr. Brooks, and I'm not ready to risk losing her. Never," Flynn smiled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the box. Dustin's mouth dropped open in awe.

"Is that a ring?" he asked.

"No," Flynn shook his head, rather quickly, "No... but... It's a promise ring... I want to ask your daughter if, maybe, she too is thinking about a future."

"Isn't this a little fast?" Dustin frowned, "Flynn, she's seventeen years old! She's not ready to be tied down."

"I know," Flynn nodded, "Don't worry, I would never ask her to marry me at this age. That's exactly why this isn't an engagement ring. It's just a promise ring... to signify our commitment.

Flynn opened the box, showing Dustin the ring, and Dustin saw that the beautiful pink diamond ring was connected to a silver chain.

"I really hope you approve of this," Flynn said, handing the box to Dustin, "I don't want to do anything that would scare you or Kaylee... that's why I came to talk to you. Hayden told me you and her were close. I don't want you to get the wrong message when you see her wearing that."

"You seem like a responsibly stupid young man," Dustin smirked, handing the box back to Flynn. "But, a promise ring is no engagement ring, right?"

"Never," Flynn answered.

"And... if she does change her mind, she can always break it off, without fear of your reaction?"

"You know I would never try to harm her," Flynn assured the protective father, "All I want is to protect her and see where our relationship goes."

"You're just giving her the promise ring because..."

"I'm really in love with Hayden," Flynn said, "And... I know it sounds crazy, but I was her to know how I feel, and it seems the only way I can do that is with... this."

"Can't you just sleep with her like any other boy?"

"Like I said, Mr. Brooks, I would never hurt your daughter," Flynn frowned, "And I would never do anything with Hayden that makes you uncomfortable. If you don't approve..."

"You're a good man, Flynn," Dustin smile, grabbing Flynn's shoulder in a solid grip, "And I trust you to make this decision and come up with the right one. But if I see my daughter in tears, at any point in her life, because of something you've done, I will have you murdered, understood."

"Perfectly," Flynn nodded. "I have no intention of ever hurting her."

"That's what I like to hear," Dustin nodded. "If you want to mock-propose to her... then you have my permission."

"Thank you," Flynn smiled, playing with the box and looking down at the ring, "Thank you very much..."

-----RPM-----

Summer and Dillon were walking around the yard, enjoying the low light cast from the emergency lights, making it seem like they were walking in the last few moments of dusk. Summer held Dillon's hand and stopped suddenly, pulling on him a bit.

"Dillon... I'm really sorry," she said, lowering her head. Dillon smiled, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her, "I said some really mean and hurtful things... to your face... you can't imagine what I was telling Tenaya 15 and Venjix behind your back."

"I don't care," Dillon said, kissing the top of her head, "I really don't care. That wasn't you. That was a creation of Venjix, and I know he already hates me."

"But..."

"Summer, shut up," Dillon laughed, kissing her lips to keep her from apologizing another time. He knew how she felt, thought. Even now, months after his journey with Tenaya and his experience as a Venjix drone, he still wanted to get down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness. But he knew it would only annoy Summer and remind her of that hurtful time.

Pulling away, he looked into her eyes and wiped away the tear, "I love you, and I know you didn't mean anything you said. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Okay...," Summer nodded, unsure. "But..."

Dillon kissed her again. This time, when it was done, Summer pulled away.

"This isn't going to get me to shut up about it," she laughed, "If me talking about this and trying to apologize makes you kiss me, then we might be here all day."

"Would you rather ramble and cut all our kisses short?" Dillon asked, "Or, would you rather we have one, long kiss, and you shut up and realise that I accepted your apology."

The two stepped back inside the garage, and Summer bit her lower lip in thought. Suddenly, she pressed her lips to Dillon, showing him her answer.

"Hannah, put it down!" Mike called, interrupting the kiss. Summer quickly pulled away to look at her two cousins and spotted her Aunt's book in Hannah's hand.

"I'm sorry, Dillon," she said, pushing him away gently and running after the younger girl. Dillon growled; he was really starting to hate Kaylee's family, and not just because Hayden was an annoying little sister.

"Guys, what the hell are you doing?"Summer asked, coming up behind Hannah and snatching the book. She glared down at the blonde haired girl, "Hannah, Aunt Kaylee doesn't like when you look through this book. It's special to her."

"It's just pictures," Hannah frowned, "Pictures of the family... our family. Why won't she let us look at them?"

"It's Aunt K," Mike said, "Do you need a reason for her craziness?"

"Just," Summer started, rubbing her temple, "Don't look through the book again, got it?"

"Fine," Hannah sighed as Summer placed the book back in the desk and closed the drawer. "Now I guess we'll never know who Dawn was..."

-----RPM-----

Sierra heard a knock on her door and was quick to answer, hoping it would be the military with some news about the sudden blackout. When she opened the door, she saw Kaylee, a baby and a young teenage girl.

"I am not doing whatever it is you want me to do, Kayl," Sierra said with a playful tone. Kaylee laughed, but then got serious.

"Sierra, I know this is totally awkward, but can Tenaya look around your house?" Kaylee asked. Sierra crossed her arms and leaned against the door as she looked over at her sister in-law.

"Um, should I even ask why?" she frowned.

"Okay, well, you see..."

"AH!" Sierra frowned, plugging her ears with her hands and stepping aside to let Kaylee in, "Just from that I know I'm going to regret it. Come on in."

"Thank you," Kaylee smiled.

Tenaya stepped inside the house, with Kaylee and Engel right behind her. She walked in further to try and find a spot that could trigger her memories, while Kaylee stayed behind.

Sierra whispered to the younger girl, "Isn't that Venjix' evil henchwoman?" she asked.

"Not anymore," Kaylee whispered back, bouncing Engel slightly as the little child started falling asleep, "Now she's just a girl looking for her home."

"Kaylee... I remember something," Tenaya called and both Kaylee and Sierra ran over to meet the girl. Kaylee handed Engel to her sister in-law and pulled in closer to Tenaya.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It was this spot," Tenaya pointed to the ground under her feet, "it was right here where I was capture... my mother thought I was killed and her and my uncle left me... Grinders were attacking the city and they had to get to safety... Because I was left alone, the Grinders took me, and that's all I remember."

"I lost my daughter on this spot," Sierra said, "It happened almost the same way... but she was dead, I'm sure of it."

"Did you see anything else?" Kaylee asked the hybrid. Tenaya shook her head.

"That's it," Tenaya sighed, "Just that scene of me dying... I didn't even get a good look at my mother or my uncle... I just knew she abandoned me because I looked dead."

Kaylee nodded, taking Engel back from her sister, "Thanks for letting her do this, Sierra."

"Hey, no problem," Sierra smiled, hugging the blonde girl, "You know I'm always here for you."

"Good," Kaylee laughed, "Can you fix this blackout problem?"

"Kayl..."

"Fine," Kaylee grumbled, opening the front door, "I'll just have Vasquez get a better look at the systems. Maybe they need to be rebooted or something."

-----RPM-----

After leaving Sierra's house, Kaylee and Tenaya drove around the city to see if there was anywhere else that would trigger a memory for Tenaya. By the time they finished, it was late in the night (not that they could tell) and the two decided to head back home.

They found Hayden sitting on the couch, quietly slamming on a hippo. Kaylee simply smiled at her daughter before going to bed. Tenaya sat down beside her and frowned.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Pretending to play hippos," Hayden answered, "want to join?"

"Why are you pretending?"

"Well, during the famine Daniela kinda flushed the marbles down the toilet so the hippos would starve as well," Hayden explained, "now the game's broken. So I'm pretending to play. So far, I've won three and lost four."

"What?" Tenaya asked, "How do you lose a game you're pretending to play against yourself?"

"You suck really bad," Hayden shrugged, "So are you going to play or not?"

"I don't really see the point," Tenaya frowned, "No offense, but isn't that a little... crazy?"

"My family's full of whack-jobs," Hayden stated, "On both sides. And we take offense to being called crazy, you know."

"Really?"

"No... but we would if we weren't crazy!"

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Hayden sighed, "So are you going to play?"

"There's nothing to play," Tenaya cried softly, "You said the marbles were flushed and the game was broken."

"But if you pretend..."

"You can't pretend with two players," Tenaya remarked, "Then you get conflict."

"Not if you agree on rules," Hayden smirked. Tenaya simply shook her head.

"How would we know who won?" she asked.

"We count imaginary balls and see who counted the most!" Hayden beamed. Tenaya shot her down.

"That's crazy," she frowned, "I think I'm just going to head off to bed. Good night, Hayden."

"Goodnight, Ten," Hayden huffed. She looked down at the hippos before pushing them away, "She ruined my fun. She's a fun sucker."

On her way to the bedroom, Tenaya checked over her shoulder to see if Hayden was watching before pulling out the picture she took from the book in Kaylee's desk.

Now that she got a second look at it, she noticed the woman holding the baby looked a lot like Kaylee's sister in-law, Sierra. Was that her and her daughter?


	21. Flynn's Question, Dawn's Answer

Flynn got home in the early morning and dumped his stuff by his shelf in the front room before collapsing on the couch. After talking to Dustin, he had to think of a way to actually present the necklace to Hayden. He knew there was a chance she would freak out and he would drive her away if he made this proposal seem like an engagement. He had to do it right.

He flipped the switch as he entered the kitchen, but nothing happened. Groaning, he flipped it back and sat down at the table, in the dark.

Rebecca walked into the room as well, wearing her Alphabet pyjamas and her dog slippers. She looked over at the figure in the kitchen and frowned.

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked him.

Flynn turned to her, barely making out her small form.

"Just thinking."

Rebecca could tell from his thick Scottish accent that she was talking to Flynn. She nodded and moved over to the fridge to get a glass of milk.

Flynn looked at her strangely, "This is the part where you ask what I'm thinking about."

"Must I ask if the answer does not concern me?" Rebecca frowned. Flynn shrugged.

"Kind of," he said.

Rebecca sighed, "Alright, Flynn, what are you thinking about?"

"I... I don't want to talk about it," Flynn breathed, laying his head down on the table.

Rebecca stood, looking over at the Blue Ranger. She rolled her eyes before turning away.

"Well, that was a waste of breath," she said. She took her glass and headed for the door, but Flynn stopped her.

"Wait!" he called, hopping off the chair and running over to her, "Dr. K... what would you do if someone got down on one knee and presented you with a necklace?"

"I would tell them that tradition involves the piece of jewellery to be a ring, if this person was thinking of proposing to me," Rebecca answered.

"What if this person was trying to symbolize a possible lifelong commitment?"

"Wouldn't that be the same thing?" Rebecca asked. Flynn shook his head, pulling out the box from his pocket.

"I was thinking about giving this to Hayden," he said, "I asked her father if it was okay, and he gave me the go-ahead, but I don't know how to do it."

"I thought you didn't want to discuss the matter," Rebecca frowned.

"Well, I... I don't know... it's complicated... I... I... never mind."

Rebecca rolled her eyes as Flynn turned his back to her and walked away.

"That was pointless," she breathed, "This is why I don't leave the lab."

-----RPM-----

Meanwhile, Tenaya was upstairs, tossing and turning in her sleep as the memories came back all at once, piecing together: Kaylee's book, where she was from, where she died. It kept playing over and over in her head, but Tenaya never got any answered.

She was suddenly pulled from her sleep by the other girls.

"Are you okay?" Gemma asked, "You were tossing and turning like a maniac! Was it a nightmare?"

"No," Tenaya frowned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, "It was... thoughts."

"So a dream?" Daniela asked.

"No... thoughts... memories," Tenaya said, "Kaylee and I went out today when a journal caused me to remember something. We tried to find my past and we ended up at her sister in-law's house."

"Aunt Sierra?" Hayden frowned, "Why would you end up there?"

"Her house was built where I died," Tenaya explained, "And Kaylee and I thought that maybe, walking on those grounds would trigger something, like the journal."

"And...?" Samantha pressed. Tenaya shrugged.

"I just saw my death... well, the me that died in the evacuation."

"You... you aren't really Dillon's old girlfriend, are you?" Summer asked nervously. Tenaya looked up at the older girl with a gently smile.

"No, I'm not," she assured the blonde, "You don't have to worry about that."

"Good," Summer smiled.

"So, what did you see?" Hayden asked.

"Just... a woman, my mother, and my uncle, running away from me," Tenaya sighed, "They thought I was dead... and I probably was... but they had to leave me to make it safely."

"That sounds a little harsh," Hayden commented, "My parents were ready to carry me or Sammy Jr. to Corinth of one of us died. They wouldn't leave family."

"You don't get it, Hayden," Tenaya frowned, "This all happened inside the city. I saw the buildings and statues and the people... the dome was built."

"There was one evacuation that didn't go so well," Summer said, "Grinders and Crunch got into the dome. Thousands more people were killed that day because we had nowhere to run."

"I remember that day," Daniela nodded, "I heard about it from NewTech News."

"Hayden, did your cousin die on that day?" Summer asked, turning to the brunette. Hayden shrugged.

"I don't know," she answered, "I just know she's dead and I don't ever have to see her again."

"What did she do to you?" Gemma asked, sensing the hostility in Hayden's voice as she spoke of her cousin.

"We didn't get along... at all," Hayden muttered, "She was very... in your face and talked back to everyone! Actually, she was kinda like you, Tenaya, but pure evil."

"But... I was..."

"No, you were evil _let's-do-as-Venjix-says-because-I'm-a-robot_-_evil_. Dawn was... she was the demon spawn!"

"Dawn?" Tenaya asked, pulling out a picture, "Is this her?"

One look at the picture made Hayden snatch it and throw it on the floor in anger, stepping on it. Daniela pulled Hayden away from the picture while Summer picked it up. The emergency lights were slowly starting to come back on, and Summer could just barely make out the picture.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"I found it," Tenaya answered, "Well, it was more like... took..."

"You took it?" Hayden growled, already piecing this together, "Did you look inside my mother's book?"

"I... I...,"

"That's private!" Hayden shrieked, "You can't just snoop around like that!"

"It was just a picture book," Tenaya breathed, raising her voice slightly, "I didn't think it would be a problem! After all, you don't take pictures so only your eyes can see them. That's what memories are for!"

"Still, Tenaya, if my mom wanted everyone to look through that book, she would have left it out in the open!"

"You're overreacting to this," Tenaya told the brunette. "So I saw a few pictures, big deal!"

"It is a big deal! It's an invasion of privacy! How did you know it was a picture book before you opened it! That could have been some big secret my mom didn't want to spill!"

"Well it wasn't!" Tenaya snapped, "And I won't do it again! Especially if it's going to piss you off this much!"

Both girls huffed and turned their backs to each other. Gem, Summer, Samantha and Dani all stood in shock.

"What's going on?" Daniela asked nervously. As if on cue, both Tenaya and Hayden turned around, gave the other a dirty look when they caught the other's eye, and turned back.

"Chemistry?" Gemma suggested.

"Bad chemistry," Samantha nodded.

"Okay," Summer said, getting off Tenaya's bed and back to her feet. "Who's ready for breakfast? Anyone want bacon?"

Mixed replies came from the group. Samantha, Dani and Gemma were all excited about this, as well as Hayden, but Tenaya stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"I'm not a fan of bacon... or pork," Tenaya stated politely to her friend.

"How do you not like bacon?" there was a hint of bitterness in Hayden's voice as she spoke, but aside from that, it seemed as if her disagreement with Tenaya had suddenly disappeared, "Do all stalkers hate bacon?"

"Low blow, Hayden," Summer cautioned the girl.

"Summer, you can go downstairs with the others," Samantha smiled to the yellow Ranger, "I wanna talk with Hayden."

Summer nodded, leading the other girls through the dimly lit room to the kitchen. There was still enough power in the generators to last a few more days, and the stove and oven were both powered by it. Thankfully, after the famine, the military thought it best to protect their food in anyway.

Hayden crawled back in her bed, wrapping the covers around her legs as she sat, looking at her sister.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"What's going on between you and Tenaya?" Samantha asked. Hayden shrugged.

"I don't know," she said, "She just, rubs me the wrong way! I'm telling you, it's just like Dawn, part two, but its worst cause Ten and Summer are friends!"

"Hayden, you've gotta be a little more... flexible with Tenaya though," Sammy started, "I mean, she's still new here, and it's gotta be awkward for her. Having someone screaming at her probably isn't helping her adjust."

"She called me crazy," Hayden frowned.

"Everyone does! Mom does!"

"Yeah, but when she said it, it kinda sounded... harsh," Hayden breathed, dropping back into her pillow. "I really don't know why, Sammy. I try to like Tenaya! I invited her to play hippos with me before she called me crazy, but, there's just been something about her lately that ticks me off!"

"No wonder she called you crazy," Samantha laughed, "Hayden, you remember we don't have the balls for the game. Daniela flushed them."

"I was pretending to play," Hayden pointed out.

"That's crazy," Samantha frowned, giving Hayden the same look Tenaya had the night before when she went to bed. But this didn't seem to bother Hayden like it had when Tenaya said it.

"I think I'm running a fever," Hayden put her hand to her forehead, "Something's wrong with me!"

"Nothing's wrong with you," Samantha laughed, hugging her sister, "Maybe you're just conflicted."

"Conflicted? I just wanted a hippo buddy!" Hayden pouted. Samantha shook her head, still laughing.

"No, Hay. Tenaya used to be the enemy, and now, suddenly she's a friend. Maybe you're still not sure whether or not you can trust her. Half of you says yes, but the other is banging on your skull and telling you Tenaya's a liar and a monster."

"So what do I do?" Hayden asked, "I don't want to be mean to Tenaya if there's no reason for it?"

"How about, I let you and Tenaya disagree," Samantha smiled, "Maybe that'll get something out of your system. But I'll watch you and I'll make sure you don't aim low. Does that sound fair?"

"I guess," Hayden nodded.

Samantha kissed her sister on the forehead, "That's my girl."

While the two sisters were upstairs talking, Flynn was downstairs pacing. He knew Hayden would be down soon and had set up the kitchen for his question. He was thankful the lights were dimmed because the candles could work two jobs. They could set the mood, and they did allow for some light so he and Hayden could see each other.

"Hayden... this isn't forever, but it's a promise... yeah, that sounds good," Flynn smiled. Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped. "Who's there?" he asked, turning around and spotting the girls.

"Hi, Flynn," Daniela laughed, "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm... uh... n-nothing..." Flynn hid the necklace behind his back, but Gemma caught sight of the diamond and gasped.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" she grinned, grabbing Flynn's hand and holding up the ring and chain. "You didn't steal it, did you?"

"No, I didn't steal it."

Summer exchanged looks with Tenaya, then turned back to Flynn.

"Is it..."

She was interrupted when Hayden and Samantha started down the stairs, and Flynn pushed them aside. Hayden saw him and walked over, kissing him.

"Good morning," she looked up at the lights that were still turned off, "Not that you can tell."

"Good morning," Flynn replied and he pulled Hayden aside slightly. He looked down at his hands, lifting the necklace so Hayden could see it.

"Ohh," Hayden smiled, gently touching the pink diamond ring, "It's pretty."

"Hayden... before you can have this... I wanted to ask you something," Flynn said. He took a deep breath, taking her hands in his as he looked down at her blue eyes. "Hayden... I love you so much... and I never want to lose you. You mean the world to me and I couldn't see any other way to express it."

Hayden's hand flew to her mouth while her blue eyes started to tear. Flynn quickly presented the necklace again with a smile on his lips.

"Hayden, this isn't an engagement... it's a promise. I never want anything to happen to us, but we're still young... you're still very young. I could never ask you to tie yourself down to me right now, but I did want to ask if you were ready to make a true commitment; if you were willing to work as hard as it takes for this relationship to survive anything."

Flynn put the necklace around Hayden's neck before waiting for a response. Hayden stood, immobile for a few seconds.

"Hay..." Samantha pressed, trying to get an answer from her sister so Flynn wouldn't be left hanging.

-----RPM-----

Sierra was sitting in her kitchen with a plate full of food in front of her, but she had no appetite. Ever since Kaylee brought Tenaya over her mind had been racing.

When Venjix attacked Corinth city, Dawn was on her way over from her father's house. He had been killed before making it into the city, but Dawn managed to reach her mother. Unfortunately she was left with severe injuries and fatal wounds. The grinders attacking weren't helping her chances for survival as Sierra and Dawn tried to get away.

Thankfully, Dustin found them and tried to help them get to safety, but Dawn suddenly dropped to the ground. Grinders stood over her, as if keeping Sierra from getting to her daughter.

Dustin kicked them away and bent down next to Dawn. He cried desperately, trying to wake his niece. Unfortunately, she was unresponsive and Dustin was left to assume she was dead. He made the choice and took off without her, trying to protect Sierra.

Tenaya's story matched that one. Not the beginning, because she still didn't remember that, but the end, where her mother and the man she recognised as an uncle left her for dead.

Sierra pushed her plate of food away and ran to the stairs, looking at the wall where a picture of Dawn hung.

She gasped. She couldn't believe she didn't see it earlier.

Taking her coat, she ran out into the dark streets, hoping to reach the garage before Kaylee decided to take Tenaya out again.


	22. Fresno Bob's Return

"Alright," Kaylee sighed, looking at the main power control panel while Vasquez stood beside her. "What exactly stopped working?"

"Everything," Vasquez frowned, "For some odd reason the power was cut off."

"And it's been a couple of days," Kaylee said, "If this was Venjix' doing then something would have happened by now. Who else would have access to the power?"

"Fresno Bob," Hicks called from the corner of the room, dropping a file in front of Kaylee and Vasquez. "It seems our biggest criminal has ways of getting inside the military systems."

"Why would he cut the power, though?" Kaylee asked. Hicks shrugged.

"Alarms are turned off, city security cameras don't work. It's the perfect set up."

"Set up for what though?" Kaylee frowned.

-----RPM-----

It seemed like an eternity as Flynn waited for an answer to come from Hayden's mouth.

Just to be sure she wasn't dead, Dani poked the brunette. This seemed to provoke movement in Hayden as she jumped into Flynn's arms, kissing his cheek.

"Flynn, you are the most amazing man!" Hayden smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder, "Why wouldn't I try to make this work?"

Flynn was bouncing with joy as he held the woman he loved, "I was a little scared this would freak you out."

"It's freaking me out," Summer laughed, "My baby sister's getting mock-engaged before me."

Hayden smirked, flicking her cousin in the forehead while she and Flynn sat down together at the table. The other girls congratulated them while Summer got to work on breakfast.

Ziggy hopped down the stairs a few moments later, passing right by the kitchen, humming a tune as he grabbed an apple.

"What's gotten into you?" Summer asked the L-Green Ranger.

"Oh, nothing special," Ziggy beamed, tossing the apple to Hannah as she appeared from the back room. "I was just asked by Ronny to escort our dear little Hannah Banana home."

"So?" Flynn laughed, looking at the smaller boy, "You're basically just babysitting a teenager. Big deal."

"Nahuh, you see," Ziggy leaned against the table and looked over at Flynn, "Ronny, our sub-mentor and mechanical expert, has put her trust in me to escort our fragile little banana to her home. Hannah's life is in my hands."

"Call me banana one more time and there's going to be something slimier and stinker than life in those hands," Hannah growled, throwing her backpack over her shoulder. When Ziggy gave her an odd look, she pretended to gag.

"Oh... eww," Ziggy backed away from the blonde while moving to the door. Hannah followed him, waving goodbye to her friends and to her ranger days.

When Hannah was gone, Hayden looked over at Flynn. He smile extended from one ear to the other as she kissed him passionately.

"I love you," she whispered softly so only he could hear.

"I love you too," Flynn answered, holding her close.

As cute as the scene was for the other girls, they were trying to hold down their breakfast.

-----RPM-----

Sierra was crossing one of Corinth's busiest streets (when there was power) when she saw the L-Green Ranger walked with... was it Hannah? Knowing they would be able to tell her if Tenaya and Kaylee were home or not, she changed paths, running to them.

"Hey... excuse me... you're the Power Ranger kid, aren't you?" she asked, tapping Ziggy on the shoulder. He jumped, turning around swiftly and dropping into a defensive stance while pulling Hannah behind him.

"No touchy the girl," he said, glaring at Sierra. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Sierra assured them. She looked at Hannah, "You're Kelly's daughter, aren't you?"

"Who wants to know?" Ziggy asked, reminding Sierra of those old spy movies.

Hannah nodded, "Yeah, and you're Uncle Dustin's sister, right? Hayden's Aunt?"

"Wait, you know each other?" Ziggy frowned, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No, we don't," Hannah laughed, "We've seen each other before."

"Do you two know where I can find Kaylee or Tenaya?" Sierra asked, "They visited me yesterday and I really have to talk to them."

"Yeah, Kaylee's at the control station and Tenaya's at the garage," Ziggy nodded.

"Kaylee's at the control station?" Sierra sighed. As a civilian, she didn't have the right to just walk into the tower without any passes or special before obtained beforehand, and without power, there was no way to contact the former Ranger to let her know she was needed, "Great... just great."

"I can take you to her," Ziggy smiled, "Just let me drop Banana off at home and I'll get you to Kaylee."

-----RPM-----

Tenaya was bouncing a ball off the floor and the wall, finding nothing better to do without the power. She had been assured that Venjix couldn't get into the dome, and therefore didn't need to worry about him coming after her. She could focus on finding out who she really was.

But Kaylee, who was the only person who could really help, had to leave for a few hours to try and figure out the blackout crisis.

She was pulled from her boredom when Ziggy walked back into the garage with Sierra. She turned to them and smiled.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked.

"I need to find my key card," Ziggy answered. He was headed straight for the couch and dug his hand between the cushions, "Sierra wants to talk with Kaylee."

"Kaylee and Tenaya," Sierra reminded the L-Green Ranger, "Think Tenaya can come too?"

Ziggy threw the cushions off the couch when he couldn't find what he wanted, but looked up momentarily at Tenaya.

"Probably, but there might be a little problem..."

"And that problem would be you, Ziggy," a rough and aged voice spoke, alerting Ziggy of trouble as his heart dropped and his stomach flipped.

"F-Fresno Bob?" Ziggy asked, turning to the door. "Wh-wha-what brings you here?"

"You owe me, Ziggy," Bob growled as two of his men stepped forward, "And now you have two options. Either you pay up, or you come with me."

"Can I do neither?" Ziggy asked. Fresno Bob laughed.

"I knew there was going to be a little trouble," he said.

"Well, it's just that I have no money to give you and I really don't wanna be ghosted," Ziggy said, backing away slowly.

Tenaya crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're that old dude I met when I tried to take the green morpher," she smiled, "I remember I kicked your mens' asses."

"Not now, sweetheart," Bob hushed.

"G-guys..." Ziggy called weakly, trying to alert the others in different rooms. Bob didn't like Ziggy calling for help and motioned for his men to grab anyone they could to keep him quiet. That turned out to be Sierra. She struggled in their grip, and Ziggy's fearful look disappeared.

"Let her go," he growled.

"If you turn yourself over, we'll let go of the girl. Does that sound fair?" Bob asked.

Ziggy couldn't let Sierra get hurt. He stepped forward, "You know, my friends will realise I'm missing and they'll come after me."

"There's a reason I cut the power, Ziggy," Fresno Bob laughed while his men let go of Sierra and grabbed Ziggy, "Your friends won't be able to find you before I'm done with you."

Tenaya hopped over the couch, running past Sierra as the men took Ziggy away. She jumped, kicking the one on the right in the back, sending him to the floor.

"Whoa..." Ziggy breathed. He knew Tenaya was strong and fast, but usually those skills were working against him.

Tenaya grabbed the other man by the collar of his jacket and rammed him into a wall. He hit his head and dropped to the ground.

Tenaya turned to Fresno Bob, "I'm his friend."

The first man got to his feet and ran back to Bob, but he was pushed back.

"I want Ziggy," he yelled.

The man had to listen to his boss as he charged forward. Tenaya dropped, sweeping her leg and catching the man's. He tripped, landing face first on the ground. Tenaya picked him up, throwing him back at Bob.

"Get out!" she yelled. Bob knew he had lost and turned to run. The second man followed him, but the first was still unconscious. Tenaya cleared her throat and pointed to him. The second man quickly grabbed his partner and ran off with him.

Bob didn't like the way this meeting turned out. He was sure to be back.

"That was amazing," Ziggy smiled, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Venjix upgrades, remember?" Tenaya laughed. "What does he want with you?"

"I kinda stole some stuff from him," Ziggy shrugged, "It's no big deal..."

"No big deal?" Sierra asked, coming to Ziggy and Tenaya's side.

"Okay, okay, it is a big deal... to him," Ziggy said, "But we can't focus on that right now. Bob just told us he turned off the power! Kaylee needs to know if we even want to see light again!"

-----RPM-----

Ziggy, Tenaya and Sierra made it into the control tower (Ziggy had to first get Tenaya past security), and they found Kaylee working on the control panel, trying to reboot it.

"Kaylee!" Ziggy called as he entered the room, "You'll never guess what I found out!"

"Your pants are too tight?" Kaylee joked, looking over at Ziggy with a small smile, but keeping her eyes on her work.

Ziggy looked down at his pants before shaking his head, getting back on track, "Bob cut the power!"

"I knew it," Hicks smirked. Kaylee laughed softly, stepping away from the panel.

"Do you know where he cut it from?" she asked, "Because unless we figure that out, then it'll be a while before we find where the problem is and fix it."

Tenaya stepped forward, a little nervously. Hicks and Vasquez grabbed their weapons, but Kaylee stopped them.

"She's been cleared," she assured the two.

"Kaylee... I know the city needs its power... but without it, Venjix and T15 can't get into the city... it gives us time to figure out who I am without interruption. Can we... keep it off for a little longer?"

"Keep it off?" Ziggy asked fearfully, "But then Fresno's Bob going to attack me again, and no one's going to hear my screams."

"It won't have to stay off for long," Sierra smiled, "Kaylee, I need to talk to you."

Kaylee grabbed her head in her hands and sighed, "Okay, whoa, slow down! Tenaya wants the power off, Ziggy said Bob will attack him _again_, and Sierra needs to talk... anything else I need to know before my head explodes?"

"Oh! I can keep Bob off my trail if you loan me a couple million!" Ziggy smiled.

"And I need to talk with Dustin as well," Sierra added.

Kaylee turned to Tenaya, "How about you, anything else you want me to juggle?"

"Not really," Tenaya shrugged, "I'm good."

"Thank you," Kaylee breathed, turning to the wall and slamming her head against it repeatedly. Sierra walked over to her little sister, putting her hand between Kaylee's head and the wall, stopping impact.

"I don't think your sister will like you losing whatever brain cells you have left," she joked.

"Where do I start?" Kaylee asked. "With Ziggy and Bob, Tenaya and her past, or you and you're random need to talk with me and your brother?"

"Me! Me!" Ziggy said, throwing his hand in the air and hopping up and down, "I don't want to die!"

"Kaylee, we can't keep the power off for too long! I can figure out my past faster if we start with me..."

Kaylee held her hands to her ears, trying to drown out the demanding children. She was just about to hit her head against the wall again when Sierra spoke.

"I have Tenaya's answers."

-----RPM-----

After picking up Dustin from home, Kaylee took Ziggy, Sierra and her husband to the garage, sitting them down on the couches. Everyone else was in their rooms or in the lab, and Kaylee knew they had no intention of leaving.

Kaylee turned to her sister in-law and pointed, "Speak."

"Kaylee, you remember when you and Tenaya came to my house?" Sierra started.

"It triggered memories," Tenaya nodded. "I died on that spot..."

"You died on that..." Dustin trailed off, looking over at Kaylee. He knew Tenaya was on their side now, so Kaylee knew that wasn't what was creeping him out. "But... my niece died there..."

"Kaylee, you're such an idiot," Sierra continued, "You remember what happened to Dawn, right?"

"Who is Dawn?" Ziggy asked.

"Voices..." Kaylee breathed, covering her ears again, "Too many voices..."

"Sorry," the other three people laughed. Kaylee nodded.

"Dawn was Sierra's daughter, Dustin's niece," Kaylee explained for Ziggy.

"Kaylee, Tenaya's story matched Dawn's!" Sierra smiled, "And I we were idiots for not piecing it together."

"Sierra, I hate to tell you this, but a lot of people died that day... chances are that someone else died on the spot where you built your house," Kaylee said softly, sitting next to Sierra.

"Yeah, but... I left my daughter, and Dustin was there with me..."

"And I didn't see the two faces, but I know that it was my mother and Uncle," Tenaya spoke, looking over at Sierra and Dustin.

"How do you know, though?" Kaylee asked the hybrid. "I don't want to sound totally mean, but I don't want this to turn out to be a lie. How do you know it was your mother and uncle?"

"It... I can just feel it," Tenaya breathed, lowering her head.

Dustin took Kaylee's hands, "Tenaya's a hybrid, right?"

"Yeah," Kaylee nodded, "Summer proved that with Tenaya's blood."

"Then she's gotta have DNA!" Dustin grinned. "We can try to match it to Sierra's and see if..."

"If she's Dawn?" Sierra asked.

"I am so confused," Ziggy said.

Kaylee grabbed Tenaya's wrist, pulling her into the lab, where the Twins and Dr. K were watching the only working screen, keeping an eye on the city.

"Becca, is it possible for you to run a DNA test on Tenaya?" Kaylee asked, sitting Tenaya down on the chair and grabbing a needle.

"She's human, she's got DNA," Dr. K nodded.

"Good," Kaylee grinned. She cleaned a spot on Tenaya's arm, where she knew she could draw blood, and carefully stuck the needle in. When she got what she wanted, she gave the sample to Dr. K.

Because Corinth didn't want any Venjix bots inside the city, every citizen had a file on the computers. Sierra's medical files were accessible from any military or Project Ranger computer.

The only problem. None of those computers worked.

"I'm going to need the power back," Dr. K said.

Kaylee turned to Ziggy, "We need to know where Bob cut the power from."

"I'm not going out there," Ziggy shook his head.

"Ziggy, please, I need you," Tenaya begged sweetly, giving Ziggy a puppy look. Ziggy gave in.

"How do you want me to do it?" he asked.

"Give him something he wants," Kaylee smiled.

"Yeah, me!" Ziggy breathed.

"No... no..." Kaylee searched around the room as she thought. She and Bob had been in a battle for power since Corinth was established, and she knew there were many things he would rather have.

Power, was one thing, and he was willing to do anything to get it. It was the reason Kaylee had to be careful when Bob was lurking the city. He would take Hayden in a heartbeat and trade her for power.

Money was another thing, because if he had money, then he did have power. Kaylee could easily give Bob a couple million of the money she earned from her music career, Ranger career and military career (plus the jobs on the side), but she didn't want to risk the city. With the money, Bob could buy better weapons to threaten the city, and though he did live by a no killing policy, he had ways of getting what he wanted.

There was a third option that Kaylee could risk. In the security vaults, where all of Corinth's most valuable items were held, there was a box. In that box was something Bob wanted, and he would break his own no kill rule to get it.

Because its contents were valuable to Corinth's protection, and if they landed in the wrong hands they could spell danger, the city had made sure there were identical boxes with nothing inside.

"Zigster, get into the city vault," Kaylee smiled, handing Ziggy the key card around her neck. "In vault number 705 you'll find ten boxes. Bob wants one of the boxes in there, and will do anything to get his hands on it. It means more to him that your life ever would."

"That sounds mean," Ziggy frowned.

"Kaylee, he can't access the vaults without you," Dustin reminded his wife.

"Hayden is going to have to go with him," Kaylee said.

"No, no way are we bringing her in a plan that involves Bob!" Dustin protested.

"Do you want to find out if Tenaya's your niece?"

"I would rather keep my daughter," Dustin frowned.

"Nothing's going to happen to her," Kaylee assured the worried father. "Bob wants what's in that box more than he wants power. He'll choose the box over her any day."

"But you can't hand him that box," Dustin said, "You can't give him the..."

"I'm not," Kaylee smirked, "Ziggy's not going to take the pink box, he's going to take the green one."

Kaylee turned to Ziggy, "You and Hayden will get inside the building then Hayden's going to stand watch for you. You'll go to vault number 705 and you'll see ten boxes. They're all the same except the outline. One box is pink, you don't touch that one. Instead you'll grab the green one. Bob will believe you when you tell him it's the one he wants because he knows my past as a Green Ranger. He doesn't know about Sammy."

"Okay, so I leave the pink and grab the green," Ziggy nodded.

"Right," Kaylee smiled. "Then you and Hayden will talk to Bob and you'll get him to turn the power on. When he does, you give him the green box, seal the deal. You'll be safe, the city will be safe and we'll get our answers."

"What's in the green box?" Ziggy asked.

"Nothing," Kaylee grinned. "Now go get Hayden, tell her about the mission. Use my card key to open the vault."

Ziggy nodded, running out of the room.

"Leave the pink, grab the green," he muttered to himself over and over again as to not forget.

He made it to Hayden's room and knocked.

"Leave the pink, grab the green," he repeated.

Summer answered the door with a smile. Ziggy didn't waste any time.

"Hayden," he told her.

Summer nodded, turning to Hayden. Ziggy continued to mutter.

"Leave the pink, grab the green. Leave the..."

"Green boy, what do you need?" Hayden asked. Ziggy lifted his finger, shushing her so he could finish his chant.

"... green, grab the pink... leave the green, grab the pink. Got it!" he smiled, not realising that he had been thrown off by Hayden when she called him by his colour. He looked at her with a grin, "We're going on a mission."

"Ohh!" Hayden smiled. She grabbed her coat and turned to the other girls, "So long, suckers. We have a mission!"


	23. The Trade for Truth

"We're supposed to go in there?" Hayden asked Ziggy, spotting a big building in the distance. She knew what it contained. It had all the vaults where Corinth's most precious items were kept. Her mother was one of the only people with permission to enter this building, and by association, Hayden was as well. "Ziggy, there is some precious stuff in there. Are you sure my mom wants us to..."

Ziggy showed Hayden the key card, "Unless this opens something else..."

Hayden snatched the key card and placed it with her Ranger ID, "I should hold onto this. You have a habit of dropping things."

"I do not," Ziggy frowned.

The two made it through the entrance, showing their identification cards and their badges before being permitted to pass through security. After getting the all clear, they were escorted to the elevator.

"Floor seven," the soldier told them, pushing the button for them. "Your room number is 705. The key card will only allow you to enter that room."

Hayden and Ziggy nodded while the doors closed. On the way up, Ziggy shifted.

"What do you think is in that box?" he asked her. Hayden looked over at him with a serious look.

"I don't think; I know," she said.

"You know?" Ziggy asked her, "Whoa, really? Can you tell me? What's in it? How do you know...?"

"I can't tell you, Ziguardo," Hayden smiled, "Its top secret. Only my family knows."

"The Colonel doesn't know?" Ziggy frowned. Hayden shook her head.

"He's got a clue, but he doesn't know for sure."

"Why do you know?"

"Well," Hayden started, "My mom knows that being involved in saving the world is a risky job. If she was the only person to know, and something happened to her, then the world would go crazy wondering what's inside and why mom kept it secret. They would think that if they knew, they would have all the power and they would be on top. That's why Fresno Bob wants it."

"But why do you know?" Ziggy asked.

"If my mom and my dad do die, then at least I still know," Hayden said, "That way if anyone else figures out, they aren't the only ones who know, and won't have all the power."

"So you're the _just in case_," Ziggy smiled.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, Hayden stepped out and Ziggy followed her. They made it to room 705 and Hayden swiped the key card.

"I'm supposed to stand guard?" Hayden asked Ziggy. He nodded, but Hayden had an uneasy feeling about letting Ziggy go into the vault alone.

"Look, I know that was the plan, but this place is secure," Hayden whispered, "I think I would feel better if I went with you."

"You don't trust me?" Ziggy asked, flipping his morpher in his hand. He dropped it suddenly, and tried to act like that didn't happen, but the damage was done.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Hayden laughed, picking up the morpher for Ziggy, "It's that I know you way too well."

She handed his morpher back to him with a smirk, Ziggy laughed nervously.

"I see your point," he said. Hayden nodded, walking into the vault first and seeing the ten different coloured boxes.

Ziggy stepped up beside her with a smile, "Kaylee said to take the pink one."

"Are you sure?" Hayden asked, "I think I remember my mom telling me..."

"No... no, she told me it was the pink. She said leave the green, because it's her Ranger colour and she hid whatever's in there in that green box. And the pink is the fake one because Fresno Bob knows about Samantha and it would be obvious."

"No, I'm pretty sure."

"I even made up a saying," Ziggy smiled, "Leave the green, grab the pink!"

"If you're sure," Hayden frowned, "But I really think this is a mistake."

"Why don't we take another colour then..."

"We can't do that," Hayden shook her head, "Other box have other stuff inside them. Green is the only empty one."

"No, it was pink."

"I think it was green."

"Hayden, you would be a living clue if it the box was pink. That's why it's green."

"Pink."

"Green!"

"Pink!"

"Green!"

"Fine," Hayden said, giving in, "I don't even remember anymore. If you're sure my mother said to take the pink and leave the green, then I trust you."

Ziggy smiled, taking the pink box and lifting it off its stand. Suddenly it slipped out of his hand and crashed on the floor. Thankfully the box was indestructible, and Hayden knew the contents were still safe. She picked up the box, chaining it to her wrist and looked at Ziggy.

"Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?" she asked.

-----RPM-----

Tenaya shifted uncomfortably, looking at Sierra, Dustin and Kaylee.

"So, if this proves that Sierra is my mother, does that mean I'm part of this big group?" Tenaya asked. Dustin nodded.

"I guess it would," he smiled, "I really hope this works out for the best."

"I do too," Sierra nodded. Kaylee looked at the older woman.

"Sierra, remember, the best may not be that Tenaya is Dawn. She could be related to someone else."

"I'm sure of it," Sierra grinned, "Everything's too well put together to be coincidence."

"What are we going to tell Hayden and Samantha?" Dustin asked, "If Tenaya is Dawn?"

"I... I haven't thought of that," Sierra frowned, looking at Tenaya.

"What? Why? Shouldn't we tell them the truth?" Tenaya asked.

Dustin sat next to the hybrid, taking her hand, "Ten... Dawn... whoever you are, can you remember anything of your past, aside from the death?"

"No... not really," Tenaya shook her head. "I just remember dying."

"Well, Dawn and Hayden never got along. They were just... too alike, and too different to be friends."

"What?"

"You know Hayden. Even before joining the Rangers, you could see her personality. She's stubborn, she's determined, she's caring, she's opinionated and she's insane," Dustin smiled. "Dawn was much of the same way. She was stubborn, she was determined and she was opinionated. But the part where the two clashed ripped them apart."

"Does it have to do with Hayden and the hippos?" Tenaya asked. Dustin frowned.

"The..."

"Hayden was pretending to play hippos... with herself. She had lost. How do you lose in a game you play against yourself?"

"That's it!" Dustin cried happily. "That's what Hayden and Dawn always argued about. Dawn didn't understand how Hayden could always be so carefree and imaginative. It worked the other way as well. Dawn stuck to life's guidelines. She couldn't just do something. She had to have a reason for it. Playing an imaginary game of house wasn't good enough for her, because the dolls weren't real. Tea parties had to have real tea, or at least some kind of liquid."

"It's common sense! You can't drink what isn't there! What's the point then?"

Sierra almost started to cry as she grabbed Tenaya in a hug. At first Tenaya wanted to pull away, but something about the hug made her feel safe and secure.

Suddenly, Tenaya was hit with a wave of memories. She was looking at a woman and waving goodbye sadly as she got into a car.

"Daddy, how long will I be at your house for?"

"Just the weekend, sweetie," her father answered her. Tenaya looked down at her hands and got a good look at herself. Judging by her body, she must have been thirteen-fourteen years old.

"Wait, daddy," she called, opening her car door and running over to her mother. She threw herself in her mother's arms, giving her a big hug. Her parents had finally settled on childcare, and it was the first time Tenaya was going to spend the weekend with only her father since the divorce.

Her mother wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you. Have fun with your father."

The memory faded for Tenaya, bringing her back to the present. As sad as she was that her name was never mentioned, she now knew a little more of her past. She could safely assume that her parents were divorced, and she knew they had not been divorced for long.

She looked up at Sierra with a smile.

-----RPM-----

After contacting Fresno Bob, Hayden and Ziggy found themselves in the park. Fresno Bob's limo pulled up and the old man stepped out of his car.

"I hope this isn't a trap," he said, adjusting the rings on his fingers. "You both know how much trouble I can cause if I'm fooled."

Hayden swallowed hard, unlocking the handcuff from her wrist and from the box.

"Where did you cut the power from?" Hayden asked him, keeping her tight grip on the box.

"I won't tell you how to fix it until I get the box."

Hayden and Ziggy exchanged worried glances, but Ziggy motioned for her to move forward. Nervously, Hayden took a few steps.

Bob looked at one of his men. The man met Hayden in the middle and grabbed her wrist.

"Let her go, Fresno Bob," Ziggy growled. He couldn't take on Fresno Bob and his men, but he could at least try to intimidate the men.

The man ripped the box out from Hayden's hand and turned back to Bob. He handed the box to his boss.

"You should open it in private," Hayden warned Fresno Bob, knowing she was screwed if he opened it now. "You don't want anyone else sneaking in here."

Fresno Bob nodded and another man walked over to a tree. He pulled off some of the bark, revealing circuitry. The man reconnected two wires and suddenly the power was back. In the distance, the two Rangers could hear the city cheering slightly.

"Our deal is done," Fresno Bob stated. "If I got what I wanted, neither of you will have to worry about me again."

Fresno Bob turned around and turned to his limo. Suddenly T15 jumped into the scene, grabbing the box from Fresno Bob.

"Finally," T15 smiled, holding the box close and smiling. "I've been waiting a long time for this city to regain power."

T15 opened the box and there was a yellow glow that shone on her face. Instantly Hayden knew that she and Ziggy had taken the wrong box.

"Ziggy, we have to get the box back!" she yelled, running towards T15. Ziggy didn't question it. If Hayden was freaking out, something must have gone wrong.

Hayden spun her leg around, trying to hit T15, but the robot grabbed her leg and twirled her around before swiping her other foot off the ground. Hayden crashed down with a loud thud, hitting her head on the ground.

Ziggy tried his hand, hopping over Hayden and tried to slam his fist in T15's chest, but she caught his hand and threw him back.

"Let's just finish this," T15 growled, lifting her hand, revealing a hand blaster. She pointed it at Fresno Bob, seeing as he and his men were the only ones still standing.

Ziggy feared Fresno Bob, and if the old man had died, he would be happy, but he couldn't just let T15 murder Bob in cold blood. Before the blast was shot, Ziggy morphed, jumping in front of Bob and deflecting the blow with his sword.

Hayden jumped up from the ground, kicking her feet up and hitting T15 under the chin. She recoiled in pain, but never let go of the box.

T15 didn't want to risk losing the valuable item in the box, so she turned to run. Hayden took off after her, until Ziggy stopped her.

"There's no point," he frowned, "Tenaya could kick our asses from here to the moon, and she was only Generation seven."

"Ziggy, you don't get it..."

"You have more important things to worry about back home," Ziggy whispered. "Whatever we lost we'll get back."

"But..."

"Trust me?" Ziggy asked her. Hayden narrowed her eyes and glared at the green Ranger.

"I trusted you with the box, and you were wrong," she said. "Why should I..."

"Well..."Fresno Bob started, walking over to the Rangers, "Why would you do that, Ziggy?"

"D-Do what?" Ziggy asked the old man.

"Save my life," Bob smirked, "You had a chance to get away with your misdeeds. I lost the box; I could now easily come after you."

"It's my job..." Ziggy said, stepping back and pulling Hayden with him. Fresno Bob simply laughed, extending his hand.

"You're a good man, Ziggy. You save my life, and I'll save yours. We're even."

Ziggy's jaw dropped. Fresno Bob saying he was even was like Venjix calling it quits, it never happened.

"We're... even?" Ziggy asked him. Fresno Bob nodded and Ziggy shook his hand. "Wow... that's cool."

As Fresno Bob turned away, Ziggy looked over at Hayden with a proud smile. She rolled her eyes and smirked.

Ziggy now felt confident. He turned to Bob and waved, "Thanks, Bober-rino!"

Fresno Bob stopped, turning to Ziggy slowly. He raised his finger, pointing it at the green Ranger.

"Don't push it," he said, hopping in his limo and driving off. He was upset that he didn't get what he wanted, but at least he was still alive, and he could still fight for power.

"Now what do we do?" Hayden asked, "You don't know it, Ziggy, but now Venjix can get his hands on something very dangerous."

"How long do you think it'll take him to use it against us?" Ziggy asked.

"He'll probably have it up and running in a couple of weeks... then it might take a while for him to convert it into a weapon or an attack bot or... whatever."

"So a long time?" Ziggy smirked, "Then we're good."

"No... we're really not."

"Hayden, chill," Ziggy smiled, "The sun is shining, the power is back and you're engaged. Don't you have a man waiting for you back at home?"

Hayden nodded. She was deeply worried about Venjix' new toy, but Ziggy was right. And with a couple weeks to prepare a weapon to work against the item in the box, there was still some hope.

-----RPM-----

As soon as the lights came on, Rebecca rushed to the computer, placing Tenaya's DNA sample on a tray. The computer scanned it, coming up with no matching results. All it could find was closely related samples.

The first file came up and Dr. K got a good look at the name and the picture.

"Sierra Matthews," she grinned, turning to the Brooks family.

"That's me!" Sierra smiled.

Rebecca couldn't contain her excitement as she continued to read the file, "It says mother... That could only mean..."

"I'm Dawn," Tenaya smiled, pulling out the picture of Sierra, Dustin and the baby she kept in her pocket. "My name is Dawn... I have a family."

Sierra and Dustin were over the moon as they pulled Tenaya into their arms, kissing her head and cheek as if she had just risen from the dead (technically this was true).

Kaylee was happy as well, but she wasn't family by blood, and she wanted Dustin, Sierra and Dawn to enjoy this moment. She stepped beside Rebecca.

"Isn't this great?" she asked. Rebecca nodded, but her eyes shifted over to the computer. If it could find Tenaya's family, maybe it could help her.

Kaylee noticed the look and sighed, "Becca..."

"Do you think it would work with me?" she asked the mentor.

"Bec... I don't think you're going to want to know," Kaylee whispered, "All this, it's just coincidence. Tenaya, Sierra and Dustin were lucky they all survived."

"I have to try," Rebecca pulled out her hair and placed it on a tray. The computer looked over it, coming up with one result.

_Dr. K._

The doctor looked up, stunned. One result meant one thing. Her parents had never been registered into any of the military systems. Unless they snuck passed all soldiers, officers, generals and the Rangers during the evacuation, they were dead.

"I killed them," Dr. K breathed. Her small body started to shake, "They... they weren't... they..."

Before Rebecca could do anything Kaylee's arms were around her in a bear hug.

"It wasn't your fault," she whispered gently, stroking Dr. K's hair and keeping the young girl close. "None of this is your fault, kiddo."

"I killed my parents."

"Venjix did," Kaylee told her, "You didn't do anything."

Rebecca growled, storming out of the room and into her private bedroom. Kaylee watched her leave, saddened.

Suddenly Dustin grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. It was obvious he was happy about his niece's return and needed to get rid of the extra energy. Kaylee wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes aside and turned to the three family members.

"This has been a day," she smiled, "Are we going to tell the others."

Tenaya nodded happily, but there was something on her mind. Something that had been bothering her since she found out that Dawn and Hayden never got along.

She didn't want her cousin to be distant from her. After living with Venjix, thinking she was a bot, and knowing no family, Tenaya wanted to be as close to the people who loved her as she could.

"I don't want Hayden to know," she said. "Everyone else is fair... but Hayden..."

"Why not?" Dustin frowned, upset his niece and daughter wouldn't be reunited. "I'm sure..."

"You said it yourself, Hayden and Dawn never got along... I don't want that," Tenaya explained. She looked from her Aunt and Uncle, to her mother. "I know... I know I'm still the same person, but maybe Hayden and I can start fresh if she doesn't know I'm the cousin she hates."

"Do you really think this is what's best, Dawn?" Sierra asked. "You are the same person, and it was your personalities that clashed..."

"Maybe now that we're a little older, the same thing won't happen again," Tenaya smiled, "Maybe we'll learn how to push that aside and see past our similarities and our differences and we'll like each other."

Sierra and Dustin both nodded.

"If you think its best," Dustin said, "But what do you want us to tell Hayden?"

"Nothing," Tenaya frowned, "She doesn't know I found out who I was... she doesn't have to... this can work... I know it can!"

"We'll tell the others tomorrow morning," Kaylee said, keeping one eye on Dr. K's door, and the other on her family. "A lot's happened lately, and they can use a bit of a break. Dustin, Sierra, you and Tenaya can go home if you want and spend some time with Dawn before this secret is spilled to the Rangers."

"Do you want to come, Kaylee?" Dustin asked his wife. "She is your niece too..."

"Hell yeah, I'm coming," Kaylee grinned, "But I've got another child to take care of. I'll catch up."

"Are you sure?" Sierra frowned, "Kaylee... you're family..."

"I've got a lot of family, Sierra," Kaylee smiled, "Tenaya needs you guys, just like Becca needs me."

"Kaylee... I kind of want you to come..." Tenaya spoke honestly. "I want to know my family, and my past and... everything... and..."

"I'll be there, I promise," Kaylee assure the girl, "I've missed Dawn since the day she died. I'll be there for you, but Dr. K's all alone, and I know why and... this is really important."

"We'll be at our house, Kayl," Dustin told his wife. He didn't understand why she wouldn't come, but she knew Kaylee was always trying to do what was best. And she did promise to join later. He knew she wouldn't miss being reunited with her niece.


	24. Blood

Kaylee stepped into Rebecca's room for the first time since the two met. She ignored everything, looking only at the sobbing girl on the bed.

"What would you have said to them?" she asked the genius. "You don't remember who they are. What would you have told them?"

"Something... anything," Rebecca cried softly, "I want family..."

"Who's to say you don't have any?" Kaylee smiled, sitting beside the young girl, "Becca, this whole team is a family..."

"Yeah; half of you are related!"

Kaylee shook her head and laughed.

"Have I ever told you of the Seven Sisters?" she asked. Rebecca looked up at the older girl, shaking her head. Kaylee wrapped her arms around the doctor and smiled.

"Tori and I are sisters, and we were inseparable. We did everything together when we were kids. But, there came a time when we needed friends. When I was five I met Kelly."

"You haven't known her your whole life?" Rebecca asked. Kaylee shook her head.

"Well, when you're forty then five years is nothing," Kaylee laughed, "But we started off as friends, and then our relationship grew; now Kelly's my older sister, and my favourite one."

Kaylee leaned into Rebecca's ear, "She doesn't pick on me as much as the others."

"So, you met all your sisters later in life?" Rebecca asked. Kaylee nodded happily.

"Family isn't blood," she smiled, "Family is a group of people who love each other and who care for others. I'm sure your real parents loved you, but they aren't here anymore. I'm really sorry your parents are gone, and I know how you must be feeling, but you're not alone. You're still loved by many."

Kaylee kissed the young girl on the forehead as she got up.

"I love you, Becca. If you need me I'm just a phone call away."

-----RPM-----

"Turn, turn, turn!" Daniela yelled as Greg desperately tried to turn the car in the video game he was playing. He didn't turn hard enough and his car slammed into the wall. "God, you suck."

"Thanks," Greg frowned, reversing and getting back in the race. "Nice to know my girlfriend is behind me."

"Aw, you know I am," Dani grinned, "TURN! TURN! BRAKE! HIT THE BRAKES YOU IDIOT!"

"I don't like this game," Greg said, tossing the remote on the couch. "It changes you."

Daniela laughed, kissing her boyfriend, "It doesn't change me. I've always been competitive to a fault."

"I guess I'm the same way," Greg smiled, "Growing up in the soup, I've always had to compete to get better results than my rivals."

"Yeah, but the Soup was run by a bunch of low-life child stealing idiots who weren't smart enough for their jobs so they had to recruit kids and work them until they were zombies."

Daniela picked up the controller, resetting the race so she could do it properly. Greg rolled his eyes at her comment, but kept a smile on her face.

"So that's what you think of my chosen career?" he asked her.

"It wasn't chosen, it was forced upon you," Daniela commented, "And those soup people are lucky they are dead, because I would totally kill them if I saw them. No one messes with my Greg and gets away with it."

"No one but you, right?"

"That's right my driving impaired idiot," Daniela laughed. Greg shook his head, kissing her cheek and watching her play the video game.

Hayden and Ziggy stepped into the garage. Hayden wore a glum look on her face. She walked over to the TV, stepping in Daniela's way.

Fatal error.

"Hey, bitch, get off the road! I'm driving here!" Daniela shouted, throwing a pillow at the pink Ranger. Hayden turned off the game with her foot.

"Where is my mom?" she asked.

"She just left," Daniela frowned, throwing the controller at Hayden. The young Brooks girl caught it in her hand and sighed.

"Shit..."

"Why, what happened?" Greg asked her, "Did something go wrong in the mission?"

"No, we gave Fresno Bob the box, just as he wanted," Hayden frowned, looking over at Ziggy.

"Then why do you look like you're going to kill us?" Greg asked.

"Because, we gave him the right box and T15 stole it!"

"It's not my fault!" Ziggy protested before anyone could officially blame him. "This is why I shouldn't be trusted."

"What's so important about the box?" Daniela asked.

"Top secret," Hayden shook her head, "But I have to talk to my mom."

"She's at your place," Daniela told her cousin, "But she said no one can interrupt."

"I..."

"_No one_,_"_ Daniela repeated. "She wanted me to make sure no one left. That's why I'm here."

"I thought we were here because you wanted to take advantage of the power being back?" Greg asked. Daniela shook her head. Hayden just sighed, moving towards her car.

"Don't even think about it, Brooks!" Daniela yelled, turning to watch her cousin. "You know I'm not afraid to hurt you."

Hayden ignored her, grabbing her car keys and unlocking the door. Daniela growled, hopping over the couch before speeding over to Hayden, tackling her and knocking her to the ground. Hayden struggled under her cousin and looked up.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"I take my jobs seriously," Dani laughed. "No leaving the garage, Aunt Kaylee's orders."

"Fine," Hayden grumbled. Apparently no one was going to take her or the fate of the world seriously. "I'll just sit here until she gets back."

----RPM-----

Evening hit Corinth, and Hayden was still sitting in the same spot, in silent protest. Daniela was keeping a careful eye on the brunette, making sure she didn't run off.

Flynn walked down the stairs and saw his girlfriend sitting on the floor. He chuckled.

"Hayden, what are you doing?" he asked her.

"Waiting," Hayden frowned, "I need to talk to my mom, but Dani's not letting me leave."

"I told her I was going to kill her if she tried," Daniela explained.

A car pulled into the garage, stopping behind Scott's car as Kaylee, Dustin and Tenaya hopped out, all with happy smiles on their faces.

"Team meeting!" Kaylee called.

"Mom, I need to talk to you!" Hayden cried, jumping up and running to her mother.

Kaylee and Dustin knew they couldn't include Hayden in this conversation. Dawn wanted a second chance at a relationship, and if Hayden found out who she was too soon it could ruin her chances.

"Can it wait, Hay?" Kaylee asked, "I need you to... leave."

"What?" Hayden frowned, "But... you just... team meeting! I can stay."

"Um... um... team meeting minus you?" Kaylee tried. She saw Hayden's face drop.

"What are you doing, mom?" Hayden asked, "You know I can read you like a book?"

Kaylee was desperate. She had to find some way to get her daughter out of the room for a bit.

"Oh my God! It's a giant bug!" Kaylee screamed, pointing over her daughter's shoulder, "Hayden, run before it eats you!"

Hayden glared at her mother, never turning around. Kaylee snapped her fingers in disappointment and turned to Dustin.

"I give up," she sighed. Dustin shook his head.

"Hayden, your mother and I need to talk to the team about something important," he smirked, "I know we shouldn't exclude you, but you know we would never do this if it weren't important."

"Why can't I know?' Hayden frowned.

"We love you," Dustin smiled, "You can go visit your Aunt Tori and Uncle Blake, and when this talk is done, I'll come pick you up and we'll get ice cream."

Hayden thought about it for a minute before smiling. She hugged her father.

"Okay," she beamed. Before leaving, she looked over her shoulder, making sure there was no giant bug.

When Hayden was gone, Kaylee and Dustin assembled everyone into the garage. Kaylee did a head count and nodded to Dustin when the total added up. She sat down on the couch.

"Guys... you know the big blackout?" Dustin started.

"Nope," Dillon frowned, "I totally missed it."

"Okay, stupid question," Dustin laughed, "But in that time, Kaylee and Tenaya did a little soul searching."

"More like, past searching," Kaylee corrected her husband. "I was looking through my old journal with Tenaya sitting beside me. She asked me about it then started wondering about her past. As fate may have it, she got a memory."

"It always happens at that perfect moment," Ziggy nodded thoughtfully, "It's like we're in some kind of story..."

Kaylee frowned, "That's stupid, Ziggy. This is real life."

"Back to topic," Dustin laughed, "Tenaya's memory led her to my sister's house."

"You have a sister?" Gem asked. Dustin nodded.

"My older sister," he smiled, "She had a daughter who we thought died in the Corinth attack. Sierra built her house on that spot."

"That's a little odd," Flynn frowned, "Wouldn't you want to stay away from that spot?"

"Sierra had just divorced her husband. Her world was changing and fast. She wanted to hold onto whatever she could, and living in that spot was her way of holding onto Dawn."

"This is touching, but I've got a nine o'clock kiss,' Dillon frowned, "Is there a point to story time?"

"You have a..." Kaylee paused, "You know what, never mind. But I am suddenly popping into your room at nine."

"Okay," Dillon smirked, leaning back on the couch.

"Summer's room! I'm popping into that room!"

"Go ahead."

"The closet!" Kaylee tried.

"Think again."

"Summer, you're grounded!" Kaylee frowned, "Go home and stay there until I say otherwise."

Summer turned to Dillon, giving him a look.

"Guys, we wanna hear the..."

"... end of the story!" the twins whined, "Shut up!"

"There is a point to the story," Dustin smiled. He wrapped his arms around Tenaya, "We found out, that Dawn's not dead."

"Oh my God! Tenaya's Dawn! I guessed right, didn't I?" Daniela asked, hopping happily. "Am I right? Huh? Am I?"

Tenaya nodded, looking over at her friends.

"Whoa..." Samantha frowned, leaning back, "Whoa... this... whoa."

Dustin laughed, "Yeah, Sam, Tenaya's your cousin."

"Whoa," Samantha's jaw hung. "I did not see that coming!"

"So, what does this mean?" Scott asked, "Tenaya's family?"

"Well, she is Samantha and Hayden's cousin," Dustin smiled, squeezing his niece, "And for the next few days she'll be coming here and leaving to go visit her mother."

"Why isn't Hayden here?" Summer asked, noticing her cousin was missing. Tenaya smiled sadly at her best friend.

"I was told Dawn and Hayden never got along," she explained, "I don't want that. I can really only remember a time when my family was torn apart, or when my father was a single red eye in a tube."

"You don't want your family to hate you," Summer nodded.

"I want to try and make a difference," Tenaya continued, "If Hayden knows I'm the one cousin she hated, she might go back to that, and I might never get the chance to have what the rest of you have."

"At least if you try to make it work and it doesn't, and then you'll know it just wasn't meant to be," Greg added, finishing for Tenaya.

"I don't want to tell Hayden," Tenaya stated, "I don't want any of you to tell her. You have to promise."

"We promise," Scott nodded, answering for the team. He couldn't speak for Hayden's family, though.

"I promise," Mike smiled. "It's for the best. I want you both to be happy."

"I..." Summer hesitated. She knew Hayden trusted her, and if this plan backfired that trust could be broken. Tenaya looked over at her best friend, begging for her to utter the words.

"Please, Summer."

"I promise," Summer nodded.

Tenaya turned to Samantha, her cousin.

"I'm still in shock," Samantha spoke, "It'll still be a while before the words can process through my head, never mind leave my lips."

"Good, then, I guess we're settled," Dustin smiled, "Now I'm going to..."

"Mr. Brooks, mind if I talk to you?" Flynn asked the former yellow Ranger before Dustin could leave to go home with Tenaya. Dustin knew about Flynn's "proposal" and figured he wasn't going to ask again.

Flynn wasn't. He was actually going to tell Dustin the good news. Hayden had accepted, and he was going to thank Dustin.

The blue Ranger noticed Dustin's slight confused look so he laughed, "It's about the proposal."

Flynn figured that Dustin would have told Kaylee about his plans, and if not, he assumed Hayden would have run to her mother with the news, but when Kaylee's jaw dropped and her eyes nearly popped out of her head, Flynn realised he was wrong.

"You had better be talking about a business deal," Kaylee glared, looking from the blue Ranger to her husband.

"Um, honey," Dustin gulped, pulling his wife aside and waving Flynn over, "You've been really busy lately."

"And I thought I was supposed to watch out for Dillon and Summer," Kaylee huffed. She turned to Flynn, "You know my daughter's only seventeen, right?"

"Babe, I covered this with him already," Dustin whispered into Kaylee's ear. Kaylee growled.

"Yeah, but you would give Hayden away for cookies and milk," Kaylee frowned. Dustin's jaw dropped.

"I would not!" he argued.

"Either way, I would feel better if Flynn could answer these to my face," Kaylee said. She turned back to the boy in blue. "Why did you want to do this? Why propose now?"

"It's not a proposal," Flynn assured the mother, "It's a promise. It's a symbol of our relationship."

"But why put this pressure on a seventeen year old girl?" Kaylee asked.

"I don't want to lose her," Flynn answered, "A lot's happened to the girl who can never die. I wanted to make sure we were always together and I wanted to show her how much she meant to me."

"So... you proposed?"

"It was all I could think of doing," Flynn nodded.

Kaylee's serious face disappeared and was quickly replaced with a smile. She turned to Dustin.

"Bonus points!" she grinned, hugging Flynn quickly then hopping down the hall, following Rebecca into the lab to make sure the doctor was okay.

Flynn sighed deeply, looking at his future father in-law, "I still don't understand what bonus points means."

"Neither do I," Dustin shook his head. He wrapped his arm around the blue Ranger, "But if you're considering becoming a part of this family, you have to learn to ignore the women."

"Ignore?"

"Just smile, nod, and tell them you have everything under control," Dustin patted the boy on the back before calling for Tenaya to take her back to her mother's house.

"You do that?" Flynn asked.

Kaylee's head popped out from the lab, "Um, Dustin, I'm going to take a walk with Dr. K and her big ass sun-jacket. Can you make dinner for the team? You have to remember about special diets, Daniela's allergies and you have to make sure to include all four food groups. Oh, and the Rangers can't eat too much or too little because they're going to be training afterwards."

Dustin smiled and nodded, "Everything's under control, babe."

"Thanks!" Kaylee chirped, disappearing behind the door. Flynn laughed.

"Impressive."

-----RPM-----

Hayden figured she had given the team and her parents enough time for talk. She walked into the garage, spotting her father in the kitchen.

"Where's mom?" she asked him. He turned around and greeted her with a smile before going back to his work.

"Out with Rebecca," Dustin answered. Tenaya came over, sitting next to her cousin and offering her some vegetables from a plate as appetizers. Hayden politely refused them.

"When is she getting back?" she asked her father.

"Not until late," Dustin said, "She wanted to talk to Rebecca about family matters."

"Okay..." Hayden frowned.

Tenaya pushed the plate in closer to Hayden, "Eat," she ordered.

"I'm not hungry."

"It'll open up your appetite," Tenaya pressed, "Your dad is making pasta and he wants everyone to have at least one vegetable before dinner."

"So?" Hayden frowned, "Can I eat with dinner? I have to talk to mom."

Hayden pressed the button on her morpher, opening communication lines, "Mom, it's really..."

"_Hayden, sweetie, I'll talk to you when I get home," _Kaylee said, _"I'm taking Becca out for dinner."_

"Dr. K doesn't go out."

"_I'm showing her what family does."_

"Okay, but mom..."

"_I love you, kid."_

The line went dead. Hayden groaned loudly, dropping her head on the table.

Tenaya pulled the plate away and put her hand on her cousin's back, "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, trying to get on Hayden's good side.

"I need to talk to my mom before anyone else!" Hayden frowned, "Its super-duper mega important, and she won't give me the time of day!"

"There's been a lot going on," Dustin assured his daughter.

Hayden perked up, "Speaking of which, can I know what happened in the meeting I was asked to miss?"

"No," Dustin said. He turned around with two plates of spaghetti in his hand. He set one done for Tenaya. Dawn loved spaghetti and he figured it would be a nice way to welcome his niece back into the family. When he set Hayden's down she pushed it away.

"I'm not hungry," she pouted, "I need to talk to mom and I want to know why everything's happening without me. Doesn't she remember the super special mission?"

"Maybe she got updates from Ziggy?" Tenaya suggested.

"If she did, she wouldn't be out eating dinner with Dr. K," Hayden frowned.

"Your mother's been really busy," Dustin told his daughter. "I'm sure she remembers. But she trusts you to do it right."

"What the hell could be going through her head that could distract her from the box?" Hayden asked.

"She's been helping Tenaya with her past, dealing with the blackout, managing your box mission..."

"Not very well," Hayden interrupted.

"... keeping the Rangers in check and she just learned of your engagement," Dustin finished.

"Maybe I'll go talk to Flynn," Hayden said, hopping off the barstool. "It seems like he's the only person who can still see me. Everyone else is just brushing right past me like I'm nothing!"

Hayden almost bumped into Engel, who was taking her first steps across the garage floor. She was learning fast for a child, but that could have been because she was an Angel.

Hayden looked down to smile at her niece and picked her up.

"You're gonna tell me what happened at that meeting, right?" she asked the baby. Engel looked up at her Aunt, kicking her feet. She wanted to walk again, "Just a little sound for Aunt Hayden?"

Engel made bubbles with her spit. Hayden sighed, putting her niece down.

"Even the baby won't talk to me!" she said, turning to her father and Tenaya, "And this kid talks to her own feet!"

Hayden pulled Flynn from the couches, taking him to her room so they could talk in private.


	25. Thinking Inside the Box

"Whoa, whoa, where are we going?" Flynn asked as Hayden almost literally threw him on the bed and sat him down.

"Do you see me?" Hayden asked her boyfriend.

"Aye, of course I do," he frowned, "You brought me up here for that?"

"If you see me, then why the hell does it feel like no one can?" Hayden sat next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "My mom won't talk to me about the box, and no one's telling me about the meeting."

"Everything's a little... backwards," Flynn told her, kissing her head, "I'm sure it's temporary."

Hayden took a deep breath. Maybe she was overreacting.

"Mom," Hayden spoke into her morpher, "Mom, c'mon, this isn't funny anymore and it's super important?"

"_What, baby girl?"_ Kaylee asked.

"Mom, you remember the box mission thing..."

"_Oh, right! When I get back you'll tell me how it went."_

Hayden slammed her fist on her forehead, "Mom, that's what," Hayden paused. Apparently her mother didn't care. She was too busy with Dr. K, "... never mind."

Hayden shut her morpher and got back to her feet. She zipped her jacket up and turned to Flynn.

"If you tell anyone where I'm going, I swear to God I'll murder you," she whispered to him.

"Where are you going?" Flynn asked her.

Hayden walked to the window, cracking it open, "Mom doesn't seem to care about that damned box. Until she does, no one's going to stop Venjix from figuring out how it works."

"Why don't you tell...?"

"I can't tell anyone else!" Hayden frowned, "Flynn, its top secret! I only know because I'm the princess!"

"Hayden... where are you going?" Flynn asked for the second time as Hayden squeezed her tiny body through the window. He grabbed her arm before she dropped, "Hayden!"

"I'm going to go get it!" Hayden told him. "I can't tell you what it is, but I know it's powerful enough to bring an end to everything we've worked so hard to protect."

"I'm not letting you go."

"Flynn, you don't get it..."

"No, I do get it, Hayden," Flynn shouted, keeping his voice low though so he didn't alert anyone else, "But I do know you, and I know whatever you're planning is going to get you into a lot of trouble."

"I'll get out of it," Hayden smirked, "I always do."

"Someone always has to save you, Hayden," Flynn tried to reason with his girlfriend. "You're going to get hurt."

"Flynn, I'm numb. Everyone forgets about me! That's how I get hurt."

"No it's not..."

"Samantha comes back and my parents push me aside to spend time with their dead daughter. They realise, want to make up for it, and I get stabbed in the stomach," Hayden listed, "Samantha needs to raise Engel, pushes me aside. When she comes to her senses, we spend the day together and Kyle comes back and kidnaps me!"

"Hayden, you've got it all wrong. Come back inside."

"Now my mom won't talk to me and everyone's keeping secrets from me, and only me," Hayden said.

"Hayden, I love you. I would never..."

"What was the meeting about?" Hayden asked. "If everyone else knows, why can't I? It's not my birthday, there's six months till Christmas... what could it be?"

"Hayden..."

"You want to prove me wrong, Flynn," Hayden continued, "Tell me or I drop."

"This is suicide," Flynn breathed.

"No, letting Venjix keep what was in that box is suicide. This is a rescue mission," Hayden frowned, "Now, spill."

Flynn sighed heavily. He didn't want his girlfriend to run off into the wastes and endanger herself, but he had made a promise to Tenaya in an effort to reunite Hayden and Dawn.

However, Hayden's life was at stake, and he was sure spilling this secret to keep her alive was much more important that two cousins getting along. And if he didn't, Tenaya may not have a cousin to try and get along with.

"She's your cousin," Flynn whispered. Hayden looked over at him.

"You've got to be specific, Flynn," she said, "My mom had seven sisters..."

"Tenaya... she's your cousin."

Hayden pulled herself up so only half her body was hanging from the window, "What?"

"You parents and your Aunt Sierra... they helped Tenaya figure out who she was, and the DNA testing proved it. Tenaya's your cousin Dawn."

"Who knew?" Hayden asked him.

"That's what the meeting was about," Flynn breathed, kneeling in front of her.

"So, everyone knew?" Hayden asked, "Why couldn't I?"

"Tenaya was told you and Dawn didn't get along," Flynn explained, "She wanted to start fresh, but didn't think you were..."

"Everyone knew? And you all kept it from me?"

"Hayden..."

"Flynn, she's my cousin!" Hayden screamed, "You can't just..."

"It was her choice!"

"So?" Hayden frowned, "Sure, I hated Dawn with a passion, but... she's family! She's... and you... and they... arg!"

Hayden let herself drop from the window sill and landed on the ground. She looked up at Flynn.

"Ignoring me is one thing," she frowned, "But when my entire family keeps a secret from me... that hurts."

Flynn felt like he was in the play _Romeo and Juliet_, but it was the alternate universe version. He was the one up on the balcony, and instead of confessing love, Hayden was in tears.

"Hayden... it wasn't supposed to... your mother wasn't supposed to ignore you..."

"Well, she did!" Hayden snapped. "And if she's not going to care about the end of the world, then I will!"

Hayden took off, heading for the city limits. Flynn knew leaving wasn't going to be a problem. As long as she told the officers on patrol she was on business, they were going to let her out.

"Hayden..." Flynn growled, storming out of the bedroom in a hurry. He ran to the railing, almost throwing himself over.

"Hayden's bolted!" he yelled.

All heads turned to him.

"What?" Scott frowned, first to speak. "How did... she was up there with you!"

"Free falling's not a problem for the girl who can't die," Flynn reminded the team leader.

"Hayden's gone?" Dustin asked, "Why would she leave?"

"The box!" Flynn cried, "She said the box..."

"What happened to the box?" Dustin frowned. His gaze shifted to Ziggy. The L-Green Ranger was slowly sinking in his seat. "Ziggy..."

"Well..."

"Damn it!" Dustin yelled, slamming his fist on the counter and turning away from the team. Tenaya could hear her uncle muttering something under his breath.

"Ziggy, what happened to the box?" Dillon asked his friend. Ziggy sank deeper into his seat, playing with his hands.

"I kinda gave Bob the wrong one... and T15 stole it..." Ziggy answered sheepishly, trying to avert his eyes from his friends. "But, before you can say anything, it's not my fault!"

"How is it not your fault?" Scott frowned.

"I... I can't be counted on!" Ziggy said, "I'm the scrawny little stick Ranger who's only on this team because of a fluke!"

"What's inside the box, dad?" Samantha came to her cousin's side and looked over at her father.

"It's nothing I can tell you," Dustin growled. He had already contacted Kaylee, telling her to get her ass back to the base as soon as possible.

"If it's nothing, Hayden wouldn't have gone after it," Samantha frowned. She grabbed her father's arm and turned him around, "What's in the box."

"You can't know, Samantha," Dustin snapped.

"We might have too," Tenaya spoke, "Venjix may be a tool, but he's intelligent; whatever's in that box might be tough for him to figure out at first, but he'll learn, and it'll come back to bite us in the butt."

Dustin nodded, realising Tenaya was right, "Samantha, I need you to head to the base and tell Vasquez to keep both eyes on the city systems. If anything goes wrong she's gotta alert Kaylee immediately."

"Vasquez?" Scott frowned, "She's just a private..."

"She's running the systems," Dustin told the red Ranger. "Kaylee saw potential in her and promoted her."

"To?"

"She runs the systems, Scott, that's all you need to know. We have more important matters at hand."

Samantha quickly turned toe, running out of the garage to get to the base.

Dustin didn't wait for her to leave before continuing to bark out orders, "Ziggy, you're gonna stay here and tell Kaylee everything that happened."

"But she's going to kick my ass!" Ziggy squeaked nervously. "She told me several times which box to take."

Dustin ignored the L-Green Ranger, "Flynn, you're going..."

"... After Hayden," Flynn finished for the former yellow, already halfway to his truck. "I'm not letting her go out there on her own."

Tenaya nodded, hopping off her seat and running after Flynn, "I'm going to. I know the way to the palace."

"Dawn, Flynn!" Dustin called after the two. They stopped just before getting into the truck and looked at Dustin, "You can't just leave! You have no idea..."

"Hayden's out there!" Flynn yelled, pointing his hand in the direction of the door, where everyone could see the city limits. "I'm not leaving her alone."

"Dawn..." Dustin called weakly.

"Uncle Dustin, I can't let Flynn go out there alone. I know Venjix, I worked for him..."

The two didn't waste any more time. Flynn hopped into his truck and Tenaya stole shotgun. The blue Ranger stepped on the gas, and within seconds the car was gone.

"What about the rest of us?" Summer asked her uncle, "We can't just let them leave like this!"

"They won't," Kaylee called, running into the room with Dr. K hot on her trail. The young Doctor ran into the lab, bringing the twins in with her. "I've already informed Dr. K on the contents of the box. She's going to monitor the shields to make sure no Venjix signals break the barriers."

"I've already told Samantha to warn Vasquez," Dustin told his wife.

"Vasquez got the message," Kaylee nodded, "She's uploading a firewall as we speak, and Samantha's going to the perimeter of the city. I'm sure that once she sees Tenaya and Flynn, she's going to join them."

Dustin's jaw dropped. Now, not only was his daughter running right into Venjix' hands, but his long-lost niece and his eldest girl were joining her.

"Great..." he muttered.

"Rangers," Kaylee stated, turning to the team, "Before I send you to guard the city, you're going to have to know what you're up against."

The mentor ran over to her desk, grabbing the picture book that seemed to fascinate the Rangers. She flipped through the pages until she reached the middle. She pulled the book apart from the seam, and out fell all the pages. She collected them and placed them gently on the top of the desk so she didn't lose them, but grabbed once piece out of the pile. She laid it out flat on the coffee table for everyone to see.

The Rangers gathered around, looking at the blueprints for whatever was in the box. Greg gasped as he read it.

"No..."


	26. Kaylee's Call

"A city system upgrade?" Scott asked his mentor in utter shock. His eyes were almost out of his head and his jaw was hitting the floor. "Why didn't we just use it then?"

"It's not that easy," Kaylee sighed, "The base codes for the upgrade were similar to the codes for Venjix. Once the city learned that, we knew we couldn't upgrade the systems. To keep Venjix away from it, we had to seal it in the box."

"Why couldn't we us it, though?" Daniela frowned, "So what if the codes match?"

"We can't pop popcorn without Venjix knowing," Mike told his cousin, "Remember, he's got an eye on every computerized device in this city. If we upgrade our weapons and systems with a code similar to his, not only will he know, but he could take control."

"Yeah... we don't want that to happen," Ziggy breathed.

Kaylee nodded, turning to the lab. She felt guilty for ignoring Hayden earlier, but believe it or not, she had more important matters to deal with.

Dr. Rebecca Kinsley.

The poor girl had been taken from her family and her home when she was young, forced to work every day of her life. She hadn't been abused, thankfully, but she had been mistreated. She was locked up in her room, underground, in front of a computer all day working on projects unimaginable for a child. As a result, she was socially awkward and very timid. It was already hard for her to deal with such a big group of outgoing teenagers. Kaylee could relate, and understood Dr. K's snide and rude comments. She didn't know how to behave with other kids, especially when they didn't grow up in the same way she did at all.

But once families started coming together, and love started to blossom, Kaylee couldn't help but pity the doctor. Dr. K was already searching for the meaning of love, and had yet to truly discover its joys. She still hadn't mustered up the courage to talk with Ziggy about her feelings, though she had been planning on it for quite a while.

That, however, wasn't what killed Dr. K. Greg grew up just like her. In the same "home" and the same environment, and yet he managed to blend in just nicely with his team-mates and in the process earned himself a beautiful girlfriend and found his parents.

Dr. K was still alone, and without a family.

Kaylee took Dr. K out to give her a break and show her you didn't need to be blood to be family. In a way, Kaylee was taking on another child. But as usual, when Kaylee took on something new, she left something behind.

It wasn't that she ignored Hayden. She learned her lesson before. This time, she ignored the emergency that was sitting right in front of her, because she believed Hayden and Ziggy could handle the job. As a result, Hayden took matters into her own hands and ran off.

The door to the lab opened, and Rebecca stepped out with a clipboard in her hand. She placed it down in front of Kaylee.

"I've written down what I could of the Venjix codes," she whispered, wiping her eyes. It was hard for her to go back to these prints. She hated everything that lead up to Venjix. Going back to the codes that started the end was hard, but it was needed if she was going to end what she had started. "It's not perfect..."

"I'll look them over as well," Greg called, taking the chart from his aunt, "I'm sure I can remember what you forgot. After all, I was your partner."

Dr. K nodded, stepping aside so Greg could walk into the lab. She looked up at the blonde.

"What do you plan on doing?" she asked.

Kaylee wrapped her arms around Dr. K, resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

"I don't think Hayden's going to make it in time," she whispered so only K could hear, "Do you think it would be possible for you to create another Venjix."

Dr. K pulled away with a look of horror on her face.

"A... another... Kaylee... I..."

"Don't worry, Becca," Kaylee smiled warmly, "You're not going to screw up this time. You're got about three days to perfect the virus using the codes you gave me, and I'll allow you to install a firewall to protect the city. All I need is for this virus to get into Venjix' systems."

"I can't do it again," Rebecca shook her head as the tears started to stream down her face. Kaylee moved in closer, pulling the young girl back into her arms.

"Dr. K, by now, you know I wouldn't let anything happen to you," she whispered, "I love you, so much. I'm only asking you to do this, because it's the only way we can really stop Venjix."

"If it works..." Rebecca reminded the blonde. "What if it doesn't?"

"If it doesn't, I'll take the fall," Kaylee told her, "Aside from us Rangers, and the Colonel, no one knows you created Venjix. The city will believe me when I say I found the base codes and tried to upload a counter-virus. I may be blonde, but I'm not dumb. You can ask Conner about that one."

Dr. K was shaking as she nodded and turned back into the lab. Greg came out, walking by his best friend and spotting the tears. He was about to ask when Kaylee called him over.

"Do you have the codes?" she asked him. He nodded, handing her the board. Kaylee looked at the paper before her, quickly taking notes, and handing the board back.

"Re-create it," she told the gold Ranger. He looked at her, stunned, but she sent him back. "I know what I'm doing."

"Kayl, I hope you do," Dustin sighed. Kaylee turned to him.

"Ten, Flynn and Sam are gone after Hayden, right?" she asked.

"Flynn wasn't going to let Hayden go alone, and Tenaya said she knew her way to the base," Dustin nodded.

"Good," Kaylee smiled, "Send another group to follow that one. The rest will remain here in case something happens."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Dustin asked. Kaylee breathed in, taking a minute.

"This is it," she said, "It's us or Venjix."

-----RPM-----

"Okay, Tenaya can be repaired; I've already died once... why the hell are you coming out here?" Samantha asked Flynn as she settled in the backseat.

"Because of that necklace around Hayden's neck," Flynn told her, glancing into the rear view mirror to look her in the eyes. "It's not just a pretty rock."

"Stop the car!" Tenaya yelled, already throwing her door open and dropping all electronic equipment she had with her. "Get out, drop your morpher."

"Do you see her?" Samantha asked, realising they hadn't been traveling long enough to be close to the palace.

"No, but it's around here that Venjix can pick up signals. He'll detect human technology or the morpher. Let's just hope my cousin remembered that little detail," Tenaya had already been told by Flynn that her secret from Hayden was out. She understood it was close to life or death, and Flynn had no choice, but she believed that this secret was what pushed her to leave.

Flynn didn't want to take the risk of being caught by Venjix. He stuffed his morpher safely in the truck and hopped out. Samantha followed, looking at her communicator. It was the only way she could communicate with her daughter, in case something happened.

Flynn patted her on the shoulder, "We'll make it back."

"Mike better take care of her," she growled, leaving the communicator behind.

Tenaya had already begun the walk and was a few feet ahead. The Angel and Flynn jogged over to her.

"How much farther?"

"Until?" she asked, "Until we reach Hayden, or the palace?"

"Both, I guess," Flynn shrugged.

"Well, Hayden must have been going by foot," Tenaya pointed to the tracks on the ground, slowly being covered by the sand whipping up from the ground, "So I would say not that far. The palace is still about an hour away."

"Hayden!" Samantha yelled, calling for her sister. She started to float up towards the sky to get a better look. "Hay... where are you?"

Suddenly the ground behind the three teens started to rise. Samantha swooped down to try and grab Tenaya and Flynn and pull them away from the ground, but it slammed forward, connecting with Samantha and rolling towards the direction of the palace.

"What the fuck?" Tenaya asked as she was pushed by a hill. Suddenly, the hill disappeared, and the teens landed behind a rock. "What..."

A hand covered her mouth, keeping her from speaking. Tenaya looked up, seeing who the hand belonged to. As it dropped, she smiled.

"Hayden," she spoke softly.

"You guys are slow," Hayden smiled. "I would have thought my rescue party would be here faster."

"Look, Hayden, Flynn told me he had to spill about..."

"We'll talk about this later, okay?" Hayden smiled, "I'm not... well... later."

Tenaya nodded. They had more important business to worry about.

Hayden looked over the rock with a smile.

"Thankfully, I know a short-cut," she said, "I can use my powers and tunnel my way through the sand to the palace. You should stay close behind."

"I wish this was all in my genes," Tenaya laughed softly. "Why did I have to come from Uncle Dustin's side?"

"At least you realise that my mom's family is cooler," Hayden joked, "But you're got robotic powers. That's pretty awesome too."

Hayden created a large hole in the sand and hopped into the tunnels she was creating. Before the others followed, she looked up at Tenaya.

"Oh, and these powers do come from our side," she smirked. "They are in your genes."

Samantha and Flynn laughed, hopping into the hole. Tenaya smiled. She was happy her and Hayden were getting along. It wasn't perfect, but they weren't bickering like Hayden and Dawn.

"I feel like bugs bunny," Samantha whispered, following her sister as they quickly tunnelled across the wastes. Everyone but Hayden turned to her.

"What?" Tenaya frowned.

"You know, the bunny that... never mind," Samantha shrugged it off. "Maybe you'll remember when Hayden hits a street sign or something."

"Do you think Venjix can detect bio-signals from underground?" Flynn asked.

"We've got nothing to lose," Hayden asked as she began to dig towards the surface. "We know for sure he'll detect bio-signals from the surface."

"I wonder how I read," Samantha pondered. "I'm not technically human."

"We'll be messed up!" Flynn chuckled, "Two humans, a hybrid and an Angel."

"Well, at least we're not the weirdest thing on this earth," Tenaya shrugged.

"Nope, just the weirdest thing under the earth," Samantha said. Hayden finally broke through the surface and hopped up on the ground. She reached down, grabbing her sister's hand. With help from Flynn, Samantha was pulled up. "Now we're the weirdest thing on this earth."

Hayden rolled her eyes, shoving her sister aside and grabbing Tenaya's hand. She pulled her cousin up with ease, but looked down at Flynn.

"I hope you can hop up here," she called down to him, "Samantha's all I can carry."

"Are you calling me fat?" Samantha huffed.

"Aunt Tori's booty is genetic, and I didn't get it," Hayden grinned.

"Mike got it," Samantha stated, but Hayden laughed.

"Please, Mike's backside just goes down. He didn't get it either."

Meanwhile, Tenaya reached down into the tunnel, grabbing Flynn and pulling him up, using the enhanced strength Venjix blessed her with.

"One good thing about being a hybrid," she grinned, wiping the dust off her hands. Hayden stuck her tongue out.

"Oh, yeah... well... I can... I can heal!"

Tenaya laughed, running ahead. Thanks to the tunnel, the four had gotten past the barricades protecting the palace. Now she just needed to get the others inside.

She found the keypad, entering quite a few digits while the others caught up.

"Usually we blast the door open," Hayden whispered to her cousin as Tenaya started to push on the heavy door, "It's not that subtle, but it works."

"Well, now we're ninjas," Tenaya said. The door was opened wide enough for everyone to fit through. When they got past, Tenaya made sure to close it.

"We're inside," Flynn breathed, looking around in awe. He had never actually been to the palace. Only the few select Rangers had been inside. He had just seen it from a distance.

"Are you coming?" Samantha called. Flynn was pulled from his state of awe and noticed the girls were ahead of him.

-----RPM-----

"Daniela, you're going to lead your mother and Dustin into the wastes," Kaylee instructed the silver Ranger, handing her a very small communicator to stick on her RPM jacket zipper. It was so small, it would go undetected by Venjix and she could remain in communication with Corinth at all times. "You three have to find Hayden, Flynn, Sam and Tenaya and get them back here. Nothing else, got it?"

"What about the box?" Daniela asked her aunt, "Shouldn't we try to get that back too?"

"Venjix would kill for it," Kaylee shook her head, "I'm not risking any deaths."

"And what about the rest of us?" Mike asked. Kaylee turned to her nephew.

"Stand guard," she said, "Rest up. Once this battle's started, it won't end until Venjix does, or we're dead."

"In other words," Ronny started, slinging a small bag over her shoulder, "No pressure."


	27. Palace

"Please, please, please!" Crunch pleaded, following Kilobyte like a puppy as the two generals strolled the halls, unaware four teenagers were hiding behind a large metal case. When they were gone, Tenaya face palmed.

"Really? He's still an idiot?" she asked herself, "You would think that while creating a new me, Venjix would give that bonehead some brains."

"Speaking of T15, where is she?" Flynn frowned, poking his head around the corner to see if T15 was lurking in the distance.

"She's probably in the main room," Tenaya told the Scotsman.

"Now what?" Samantha asked, looking to her sister for orders. Hayden had taken the lead in this mission.

"I don't know," Hayden frowned.

-----RPM-----

"Pffft."

Dustin groaned, trying to block out the noise.

"Pfft."

It wasn't stopping.

"Pfft."

He looked over with a glare. Ronny was blowing her bangs out form her eyes. They seemed to be curling in and bugging her.

"Pfft."

"Seriously?" he asked, combing her hair away from her eyes. "There."

Ronny frowned, shaking her head so her bangs fell right back where they were.

"Pfft."

"Oh dear god!"

"I'm bored!" Ronny breathed. "Pfft."

Dustin growled. He looked ahead, where Daniela was leading the trio to the palace, "Are we there yet?"

"Are we still walking?" Daniela asked her uncle.

"Yeah..."

"Then no," Daniela rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to the horizon to see if she could spot the palace.

Dustin huffed, turning back to Ronny, who seemed perfectly content blowing her hair away from her face. He couldn't take the puffing and swiped at her.

"Hey!" Ronny yelled, swiping back. "Don't hit me."

"Don't hit me!" Dustin cried, shoving the driver. Daniela breathed in deeply, touching her zipper.

"Really, Aunt Kaylee! I have to work with these... children?"

She turned back, seeing her mother and her uncle mid-cat-fight.

"_Sorry, but I need the team back here."_

Daniela cut communication and turned to the older, immature former Rangers.

"Cut it out," she snapped, grabbing their wrists in each of her hands. "Not another word from you until we reach the palace, got it?"

"Okay..." the yellow Rangers nodded. Daniela smiled. Just to be sure she was going to get some peace; she brushed her mother's bangs out of her face. "Don't..." she warned the woman when Ronny tried to sweep them back.

Dustin laughed, sticking out his tongue. Dani pinched it between her fingers, glaring at the man.

"Not a word," she hissed.

-----RPM-----

"Do you have a plan yet?" Samantha asked her sister again. Hayden growled.

"No," she said, "T15 still hasn't left. We can't just go in there..."

"I got this," Tenaya smirked, "But I need some bait."

"I knew I should have taken Ziggy with me," Hayden breathed, slowly getting up. She couldn't die, so she was the best option. "What do you want me to do?"

"Knock on the door," Tenaya said as she lay down on top of the box and readied her laser. She pointed it at the door. "Venjix'll surely send the clone out."

Hayden nodded, quickly running to the door. She tapped on it gently, alerting Venjix inside. As planned he sent T15 to go check it out.

"Hayden, get back here," Flynn called to his girlfriend. She didn't argue, running right over to him. He caught her in his arms and held her protectively. Tenaya took aim just as her copy stood in the doorway.

T15 spotted the intruders. She quickly turned to report to Venjix, but Tenaya took her shot. The blast hit T15 in the small of the back, knocking her forward.

"What?" Venjix asked, turning to see what was going on. "Tenaya 15, what happened?"

But T15 was out cold, for now.

"C'mon!" Tenaya called, waving the others forward.

"Where's the box?" Samantha asked. Hayden searched the room, not finding anything pink.

"It should stick out!" she cried, growing frustrated. "It's pink! Everything else in here is..."

"Stop!" Venjix screamed, his red eye glowing bright before a beam was shot, hitting Hayden in the chest. The brunette flew backwards, hitting the wall.

Flynn rushed to her side, "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Hayden nodded, rubbing the injury as it healed.

"So," Venjix cackled, watching the teens carefully, "I see you've come for the box."

"Where did you put it?" Tenaya asked her former boss.

"It's gone!" Venjix said. "The box itself remains by Tenaya 15's regeneration center. You may take it if you wish."

Samantha ran over to the regeneration center, turning around and spotting the pink box. She grabbed it, popping it open.

"There's nothing inside!" she cried.

"Where is it?" Tenaya asked, pointing her blaster at the eye. Suddenly, she was hit over the head.

"Ten!" Hayden cried, seeing T15 standing over her cousin. "You bitch!"

Hayden jumped forward, but T15's reflexes were fast. The robot grabbed Hayden's wrists, twirling her around and throwing her back to Flynn.

"Well, that was pointless," Hayden remarked, falling into Flynn's arms.

"You cannot be destroyed," T15 commented, holding her laser up at Flynn's head. "Why waste my energy."

Flynn could feel Hayden preparing herself to jump in front of the blast, but he knew that even she wouldn't stand a chance against it. A direct shot to the head could be too much for her to handle.

Quickly, and with one foot, he kicked Hayden in the back of the knees, causing them to collapse. He was still holding her up in his arms, but as T15 shot, he let her drop to the ground.

Thankfully, T15's shot was a little low, hitting Flynn just under the neck. He slammed back into the wall, and Hayden watched in horror as he slumped down.

"Hayden, grab him and go!" Samantha yelled, picking Tenaya up. "We can't fight him."

Hayden nodded fearfully, crawling over to Flynn.

The giant claw that hung over the bot-pit suddenly started to lower. Tenaya was coming too and she saw this. She tapped her cousin's arm and pointed.

"That's not good," she breathed. Samantha saw what was troubling the younger girl and nodded.

"Hayden," she called, "What's in the box?"

Hayden tried waking Flynn, knowing there was no way she could carry his dead weight alone.

"A city system upgrade," she told the girls, "With base codes similar to the ones used to create Venjix. That's why he..."

The claw pulled a bot out from the pit, and the light from Venjix' eye faded. Tenaya knew what this meant.

"Sam, we have to go," she breathed, "If the base codes for the upgrade were similar to Venjix then we're in for..."

"Fire," the Venjix bot said in a monotone, raising his hand and shooting at the two girls. Hayden screamed as a light filled the room and her sister's and cousin's screams filled her ears. She threw herself over Flynn to protect him.

Just as the light disappeared, Hayden felt something grab the back of her shirt and pull her away. Hayden was ripped away from Flynn and wrapped into someone else's arms. She looked forward, seeing a beautiful pair of wings wrapped around her.

"Wings... Sammy?"

She turned around, seeing the wings had sprouted from her sister's back. She wasn't surprised; after all, Samantha was an Angel.

"Sammy, what about Flynn?" Hayden asked desperately, trying to squirm out. Samantha held onto her sister tight.

"Tenaya's going to get him," she smiled. "She said she could handle it."

"But..."

"Hayden, we gotta go," Samantha yelled. The wings unfolded and flapped, lifting Sam and Hayden into the air.

"Not so fast!" Kilobyte called, running into the room (Crunch still behind him) and pulled out a long sword. With one swing, he tore into Samantha's right wing, almost ripping it off. Samantha screamed loudly in pain, crashing down on her baby sister.

"Grab them!" Venjix called, ordering Kilobyte and Crunch to grab as many of the four teens as they could. Tenaya wormed herself and Flynn out of the main room, but Samantha and Hayden weren't so lucky.

Kilobyte grabbed Samantha's arm, lifting her to her feet. Crunch grabbed Hayden, chuckling happily.

"Look, your Venjixness!" he beamed, turning to show Venjix his catch, but as he did, he realised Hayden was gone. He turned to Kilobyte and saw Sam disappeared as well.

"What?" Kilobyte growled.

As Venjix screamed in frustration, a loud boom filled the room. It lingered for a few moments, fading slowly but surely with time.

When the noise, sounding a lot like thunder, stopped Venjix looked around for the source. A smirk came to his robotic mouth when he saw Hayden and Samantha were still in the room.

However, there was a third girl with them, glaring angrily at him.

"Don't make me run at boom speed again," Daniela hissed. "It's fun breaking the sound barrier, but I don't like having to cover my ears when I stop!"

"Another one?" Kilobyte asked, slapping Crunch on the back of the head. "How dare you let them in!"

"I can handle these pathetic girls on my own," T15 smiled, advancing on the teens. Daniela placed herself in front of the girls, the smirk never dropping.

"Human instinct would tell me to run and save myself," Daniela started, watching T15 carefully. "But I seem to be trapped between you and this wall, with nowhere to run."

"Surrender now, and maybe we'll allow to live as a Venjix hybrid," Kilobyte smiled.

Daniela shook her head, "There's only one thing a cub like me can do in times like this."

"Oh, and what's that?" T15 asked.

Dani expression turned into one of fear as she coward into the corner with her cousins.

"Mommy..." she called weakly, "Mommy... help?"

On call, Ronny bolted into the room, swinging her leg up, connecting with Kilobyte's head. As he slumped over, still conscious but recovering from the attack, Ronny grabbed him and threw him into Crunch, knocking both lackey's down.

She glared at T15, pulling out a blaster, "Die, bitch," she grinned, shooting her weapon, blasting T15's arm. The damage was critical, needing immediate repair.

"Tenaya 15, return to your base," Venjix called, "I'll handle the speed demon."

Ronny hurried over to her daughter and nieces, "You girls okay?"

"Where's Flynn?" Hayden whimpered.

"He's okay," Ronny assured her. "He's waiting in the hall with Tenaya."

Ronny turned to Samantha, seeing her holding her shoulder in pain. She tried retracting her wings, but the pain in her right side was too intense, so the wings hung behind her. The right side was bleeding heavily.

"Samantha?" Ronny asked.

Samantha couldn't answer. She merely whimpered in pain, holding her right shoulder.

Ronny turned to the entrance, "Dustin, Samantha's hurt!"

Much like Ronny's entrance, Dustin stormed in, angry. Venjix was the only bot still standing. His eyes narrowed on the giant, silver and gold, heavily armed attack-bot.

"What did you do to my daughter?" he growled.

Venjix smiled happily.

"Same thing I'm going to do with the rest of your pathetic race," he grinned.

Dustin clapped his hands together as two large boulders ripped through the walls of the palace, slamming into Venjix, squishing him.

With Crunch and Kilobyte down, T15 recovering and Venjix trapped between a rock and a hard place, Dustin made it over to his daughters safely.

"Girls," he smiled, hugging them both, watching out for Samantha's wings. He looked down at them, slightly freaked. "You'll explain later."

He held Samantha make her way to the door, keeping Hayden in his view as they stormed out. Ronny let Dani run ahead of her to keep her eye on her daughter.

When they made it into the hall, Hayden saw Flynn using Tenaya for support. His neck and chest were covered in blood, but so far he seemed to be holding up. She ran over to him and Tenaya.

"C'mon!" she called to them, grabbing their wrists. "Venjix won't stay trapped for long."

To help Flynn's recovery and his escape, Hayden bit her lip, drawing blood. She smiled, kissing him passionately.

When the kiss broke, Flynn could feel his injury healing.

"Well, if that's what it takes," he grinned.

"Get a room," Tenaya called, assisting her cousin and the blue Ranger, following Dustin and Ronny to the exit.

In the main room, Venjix roared, blasting the two boulders away. He growled in anger. He had the Rangers right where he wanted, and he let them get away.

But now he had the power of the upgrades, and nothing could stop him. However, he wanted more. He needed more power.

He couldn't take the power from T15. She was still needed.

Kilobyte and Crunch, however, were the perfect candidates. They had power, and they would no longer serve purpose.

This was Venjix' last stand; he was going to take over the world, even if it killed him.


	28. Final Plan

The six made it back into the garage from the wastes, completely worn down and tired. Dustin assisted Samantha over to the couches to have a look at her wing. Ronny took Dani into to lab to tell Kaylee they were home.

Tenaya, Flynn and Hayden trailed behind, just passing the hummer when Tenaya grabbed Hayden's wrist. Both Hayden and Flynn stopped in their tracks and turned to her. Nervously, she looked over at Flynn.

"Can I talk to Hayden alone for a moment?" she asked. Flynn nodded, continuing over to the couches and sitting beside Samantha.

Hayden turned to her cousin, "I know what you want to talk about..."

"Hayden," Tenaya interrupted, "I know you and Dawn never got along, and I didn't want that to happen to us."

"You could have told me," Hayden frowned, "Didn't you think I had a right to know?"

"I was going to tell you," Tenaya admitted. She pulled Hayden behind the hummer so they could get a little more privacy. The others were starting to flood into the garage once they heard of the return of the rescue team, and that meant the conversation could easily be overheard, "I wanted to tell you, Hay... but I thought that, maybe, if you knew I was the one person you despised and were happy was dead, I thought... I thought maybe you wouldn't give me another chance."

Tenaya shifted uncomfortably as Hayden glared at her.

"Hay..." she continued, "When Summer got me to realise I was human, I was scared. I was going to have to live in a whole new world, and there was no one to really help me."

"Except a fat ass team of Rangers and allies," Hayden muttered under her breath, but Tenaya caught it.

"I needed something more," she told the younger girl, "When I realised that all humans have a family, somewhere, I perked up. Maybe I could find mine. But then it hit me... most of the human population is dead. The chances that my family was still alive were slim... so when I found out my family had been right in front of me this whole time, alive and well... I was happy."

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell me," Hayden snapped, growing impatient. "Samantha knew, right?"

"She did," Tenaya nodded.

"My mother knew!"

"Yeah..."

"Summer, Mike, Dani, Flynn... they all knew!"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to lose anyone!" Tenaya let the words fall out of her mouth. She grabbed Hayden's arms, holding her tight and keeping her from running off, just in case the wrong words came, "Hayden... I was afraid that... if you knew I was Dawn, you wouldn't be family. I had finally gotten everyone back, I couldn't risk losing you."

"So you thought you could keep this from me until it was convenient for you?" Hayden asked.

"I figured, if I don't tell me, maybe, with a little more maturity, we could see past our differences and be friends. Then I could tell you, and we would be a family."

"Except for the fact that you would have kept a huge secret from me and we would be right where we are anyways."

"Maybe... maybe not... but it was worth trying," Tenaya felt the tears coming to her eyes and tried to push them back, "It was worth seeing where things would go if we had a friendship, than risking you hating me again because of something you couldn't let go. Admit it, Hayden; if I had told you I was Dawn, there would have been a nagging voice in your head that would make you hate me, no matter what."

"Probably," Hayden nodded.

"And that voice would have stopped us from fully developing a relationship. I had to take the risk... at least I would have tried to make you like me if I kept this on the down low, instead of blurting it out."

Hayden took a deep breath, "You should have told me..."

"If it weren't for you hating Dawn then I would have. This wasn't an easy decision to make... and it was hard asking everyone who loved you to keep it secret as well."

"You have a lot working against you," Hayden smiled at the hybrid, "But... I think I'm willing to give our friendship a shot... on one condition."

"What's that?" Tenaya asked nervously.

"If I start calling you Dawn right now, I'm always going to think of my cousin... could I, maybe, still call you Tenaya... until I really get to know you?"

"You can call me pig head, if you want," Tenaya laughed. Hayden giggled, hugging the older girl.

"Okay, pig head," she smiled.

"I was just joking..."

"I couldn't tell. You should show it better, pig head," Hayden grinned.

"Hayden... stop it."

"Sorry, I don't speak pig latin," Hayden pulled out of the hug and skipped over to the couches. Tenaya groaned loudly, following the princess.

"I will murder you if you don't stop."

"Pig head!" Hayden called, sticking her tongue out, "Piggy, piggy, oink, oink!"

Tenaya started patting her arm, "Where's that laser blaster. Uncle Dustin, Hayden doesn't die, right?"

"Dawn, what are you... oh boy," Dustin sighed, shaking his head when he saw Tenaya attach her blaster to her arm and aim it at Tenaya, "Just, don't blow her up. Finding all the pieces is a bitch."

"Tenaya, Hayden, stop," Kaylee called, waving her daughter and niece over to the couch, "Now that everyone is here I'm going to let you guys know what the hell you're in for, and what we're going to do to help you stop it."

"You said it was a city system upgrade," Scott said to his mentor, sitting next to Samantha just as Dustin finished bandaging her wing. He was a little surprise his girlfriend had the wings and was wondering if all Angels came with them. If so... when would Engel sprout her own pair?

"The city system upgrade was inside the box, and it was illegal to install it into the city," Kaylee explained, tapping on the screen behind her to give the others a visual of the blueprints. She tapped the center of the screen when the prints were up, and a bunch of codes filled the monitor. On another monitor, right beside the first, were the Venjix base codes.

"As you can see," Kaylee continued, "there's only a slight difference in the programming between our upgrade, and Venjix base codes. Fortunately we caught this similarity around the same time Dr. K told us she created Venjix. So I knew I had to make sure anything we install into the city systems weren't compatible with Venjix, using these base codes."

"Because if they were, he could control everything, from the sink, to the weather," Greg added, bearing a worried look on his face. Kaylee nodded.

"I caught this right before releasing it to the city," Kaylee tapped on the screen again, showing a scan of the pink box, "So, before my super-special upgrade was announced, I recalled it. When the city asked why, I told them it was because it was untested as of yet."

"Didn't they offer to test it out?" Flynn asked.

"They did," Kaylee answered, "But I talked them down, telling them that the upgrade was going to do more harm than good if we got it working, and I promised to come out with something else to improve the city."

"Like?" Hayden frowned, "I see nothing new."

"I paid for groceries for a week," Kaylee shrugged. "Anyways, once that was done, and the upgrade was labelled as a threat, I had to hide it away. I couldn't destroy it, because all trash goes to the wastes, and Venjix could pick it up and find it. Instead, I placed it in the pink box."

"Then you put it in Corinth vault," Dillon said, "Thinking no one was going to find it?"

"No, I knew people were going to find it," Kaylee said, "That's why there were ten boxes in that vault; everyone a different colour. If someone did manage to get past the heavy security men and the security system and open the door, they would still need to figure which box it was in. And the alarms installed in the vault were flawless. Whoever broke in would only have time to grab one box before booking it out of there unseen."

"They only have a 10% chance of getting the right box," Rebecca pointed out. "Chances are slim that they take the right one."

"Exactly," Kaylee smiled. "Some people have tried before and failed. They've taken empty boxes and I've had to replace them. But word spread out..."

"The cartels," Ziggy breathed, putting the pieces together.

Kaylee nodded, "Word spread about the boxes, and how only one had contents inside. Any smart robber would realise that if a box was empty, that meant the item in the box was still there, and they still had a mission. So, I put other, less important, items in other boxes. In the maroon box I put the blueprints to a Zord that Becky and I scrapped a long time ago. If someone got that, they would think they have the super secret item and leave the boxes alone."

"So, in some boxes you put fake valuables," Greg laughed. "That's genius."

"Blondes aren't totally stupid," Kaylee grinned, "Well, at least, not all the time. We're all allowed one _blonde moment_ in our lives."

"Mom, Venjix has the upgrade though," Hayden informed her mother, "He kicked out asses with it!"

"I figured he would," Kaylee said, dropping back into a serious tone. "I knew there was little chance you could recover the SCU. So I've called final battle."

"Final battle?" Flynn gulped, "So soon?"

"We've been fighting Venjix for a year and a half now," Scott reminded the Blue Ranger, "Give or take a few weeks.

"The city's being evacuated to bunkies underground," Kaylee told the team. "I don't plan on having the final battle here, but I'm not risking any civilian lives. You guys now know that if you can't handle Venjix out there, you'll bring into in to the city to fight on your home field."

"I guess that sounds good," Summer nodded.

"Colonel Truman will lead the soldiers into battle if you do come into the city," Kaylee continued, "And Dr. K, Gem, Gemma, Ronny, Dustin, Christian, Samantha and Engel are going to remain here to assist you."

"Engel?" Mike asked. "Aunt K, I'm not letting my daughter..."

"She'll be fine, I promise," Kaylee smiled, "I won't let anything happen to her."

"Nor will I," Samantha assured the D-Green Ranger, but she looked to her mother with a worried gaze, "Mom, are you sure this is the right call, though?"

"No idea," Kaylee answered honestly, "But we don't have a watch on the underground. If something happens to everyone, such as a cave in, we wouldn't know."

"I thought the bunkies were secure," Dustin frowned.

"They are," Kaylee nodded, "I had Gem and Gemma test them during a couple boom-hours, but this is the war to end all wars... I can only anticipate so much."

"I think I would rather know her fate," Samantha breathed, looking to the child's playpen, where Engel was sleeping soundly. "I don't want her trapped where I can't keep an eye on her."

"What about our families?" Greg asked, "My parents aren't staying here?"

"I wish they could," Kaylee said, "But they are former Rangers: Mack, Rose, Tori, Blake, RJ, Kelly, Tommy, Jason... they can help the civilians if it's needed."

"And my dad?" Daniela asked.

"He's down there too," Ronny told her daughter, "We don't know how long this battle will last, and if someone gets sick, he'll be needed."

"What about us?" Dani frowned.

"Hayden and I are going to give some blood," Kaylee looked to her daughter. Hayden smiled back at her mother, giving a quick nod. "We both have the genetics for rapid cell regeneration. Mine works a little slower, but it'll get the job done."

"How much blood are you going to take?" Dr. K asked the leader.

"As much as possible before Venjix comes to the city," Kaylee said. Hayden didn't need to be told as she got up from the couch. If a lot of her blood was going to be taken, without risk of her passing out, getting weak in battle or dying, before the attacks, they were going to have to start as soon as possible.

"But Hayden..." Summer started. Kaylee hushed her.

"A little at a time," she assured the worried cousin.

Before she and Hayden were led away by Ronny (being the only one truly qualified to take blood), Kaylee had to brief the team on the plan to stop Venjix.

"When the battle starts, you guys will be linked, via your morphers, to every communicator set up on the table over there," Kaylee pointed to a table where there rested enough communicators for everyone staying back at the base. There was even a small communicator, in the shape of a rabbit's head, for Engel, so Mike would know his daughter was okay. "I'll be the one communicating with you all the time, seeing as I'll be leading the team and watching you guys from the monitors inside the city and in the wastes. Don't fear my voice because good or bad, I'll be leading."

"I'll be monitoring your energy levels, and providing you with your weapons and engine cells," Dr. K smiled. "If you hear from me it'll be to alert you of incoming weapons, or to warn you of your energy readings."

"I'll be watching over the Zords when in use, and I've got a monitor set up to read Venjix scans," Ronny informed the team. "When he comes, I'll have a full scan on him at all times to try and find a weakness. You won't hear from me though if I come up with something, you'll hear from Kaylee."

"If you hear from Ronny, then something's wrong," Kaylee said, "Ronny's voice will alert you of danger."

"And we'll be monitoring the weapons Dr. K sent," Gem beamed.

"Just in case they begin to malfunction suddenly, or die," Gemma chirped.

"That way you don't fire something..."

"... and it goes..."

"BOOM!"

"Isn't it supposed to?" Samantha winced. Both twins nodded.

"We mean Boom backfire," they said.

Kaylee frowned, "Like with Ronny, if you hear from a boom-twin, you're in trouble."

"So, what about Sam and Dad?" Hayden asked.

"They'll be the reason why you guys are fighting," Kaylee smiled, "They'll encourage you guys and talk to you, reminding you why you have to fight."

"Mom, can't I go out there?" Samantha begged, "I can help the team..."

"I would let you go, Sammy," Kaylee sighed, "But I'm going to have my hands full and Dustin's going to be watching Christian."

"He's here?" Hayden asked.

"On his way," Kaylee nodded, "Colonel Truman's going to bring him over when the bunkies are closed and everyone's safe."

Kaylee turned back to her daughter, "Someone's going to have to watch Engel... unless you want her in the bunky."

"I'll stay back," Samantha breathed.

Kaylee smiled, "Good, now Scott..."

Scott recomposed himself, looking at the woman in charge, "You're going to lead the team into battle. As leader, you've got to make sure they don't fall, and they stay in line."

"Got it," Scott nodded.

"Hayden," Kaylee called, "You're in charge of D-Green and Flynn, you'll lead yellow. Both of you will lead attacks for your partners."

"No pressure," Hayden muttered. Kaylee kept her gaze on her daughter. Hayden nodded, "I got it, mom."

"Good," Kaylee turned to Dillon, "Dillon, I'm putting you in charge of Tenaya and Ziggy."

"Oh shit..." Ziggy gulped, "Willy Wonka's leading us?"

"I... Willy..." Kaylee frowned, "Um..."

"Yes, I'm leading," Dillon smirked, "You got a problem with that, Ziguardo?"

"Okay..." Kaylee laughed, "Anyways, Dillon, your job is much like Hayden's and Flynn's: lead the team through attacks and strategies. However, you're also going to be back up to Hayden or Flynn. If they need your help, you'll come running."

"Ooh," Hayden laughed, poking Dillon's arm, "Look what happened here. Now you've got to do as I say."

"Hayden, no pissing off Dillon," Scott ordered.

Kaylee smiled, "Perfect. You're already working as a team."

"What about us?" Greg and Dani asked.

"Sub-team," Kaylee grinned, "You two will be the only ones to hear good news from Ronny."

"Awesome," Daniela giggled.

"She'll keep you two updated on information from Venjix," Kaylee said. "Anything she finds, you'll know."

"And the rest of us will only hear from her if we're in deep doodoo?" Hayden asked. Ziggy started to chuckle. She turned to him and he shrugged.

"Doodoo."

Dillon slapped Ziggy over the head, loving his role leader.

Kaylee rolled her eyes before nodding to the others. They all got the hint, returning to the lab so Kaylee could speak with the defenders of the world alone.

"Look, you guys," she started, "I know you're all nervous."

"Just a wee bit," Flynn nodded.

"I was nervous too when I did this," she smiled. "But I want you to know, that no matter the outcome, I'm proud of all of you."

"Thanks, Aunt K," Mike grinned nervously.

"The battle is going to be long and hard. I don't know what's out there and I don't know what Venjix is going to do. He could come alone, he could come with an entire team. All ten of you must fight with everything you have, and remember the reasons why you're doing this."

Colonel Truman knocked on the door, dropping Christian off before returning to his truck. The small three years old ran over to his mother, jumping in her arms and resting his head on her chest. He knew now was not the time for games.

Kaylee's eyes drifted to her son before returning to the Rangers.

"We're all counting on you guys," she smiled, "Save the world or..."

Kaylee felt herself choke up as she pushed back tears. She looked at every one of the Rangers for a brief moment. They were all so special to her in their own ways. She couldn't imagine losing any of them.

"Mom..." Hayden whispered.

"Save the world, or die trying," Kaylee finally finished, letting a tear fall. The Rangers saw this and instantly surrounded their mentor, hugging her.

"We'll come back, Kaylee," Scott assured her, "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

"Yeah, and Hayden can't die," Mike reminded his Aunt. "Worst come to worst, if the rest of us do fall, she'll save the world."

Kaylee almost dropped her son as a nightmare came back to haunt her. It had been a little over a year since this nightmare appeared in her dreams, but Kaylee had yet to forget it.

_Kaylee flew over the table and looked down. She tried reached out to her daughter, hoping to pull her away, but she was just a ghost. She was intangible. She no longer existed. She couldn't help Hayden or stop the robots._

_Kaylee turned away as the third knife was placed roughly in Hayden's stomach, causing her to scream._

"_Stop!" Hayden yelled, pulling on her restraints. "Please, stop..."_

While the Rangers pulled away, ready to say their goodbyes to the ones they loved, Kaylee pulled Mike and Flynn aside. They looked at her curiously.

"Aunt K..."

"I need you two to do me a huge favour," Kaylee whispered, keeping her voice low and putting Christian down. The little boy ran over to Hayden and Summer, showing them the medal Colonel Truman gave him.

"What is it?" Mike asked. "We'll do anything."

Kaylee looked at her daughter for a moment, "If you fail, and everything looks like it's going to fall, I want one of you to kill Hayden for me."

"What?" Flynn asked, "Kaylee..."

"Hayden can't die," Kaylee said, "If the world falls, she'll be the sole prisoner of Venjix. Who knows what the hell he'll do to her... and she doesn't have the promise of death waiting for her anytime soon. I can't let her suffer."

"But killing her..."

"If you guys fall, I don't care of the outcome afterwards. Hayden's going to fall with the rest of you," Kaylee said. "Please... I need you guys to do this... I don't want my daughter to live the rest of her life in pain. If she can't live in a world of peace, then I would rather see her dead."

Both boys nodded, understanding Kaylee's worry.

"We'll do it," they said.

"Good," Kaylee smiled sadly, "You'll need to know how... there's only one way to kill her."

"And that is...?" Mike pressed.

Kaylee shut her eyes as the image flashed through her head. Leanne told her this long ago, when Hayden was still a child. Kaylee always feared something would happen that would force this decision on her, and asked Leanne what she should do if she had to choose between life and death for her daughter.

The petite blonde began to shake uncontrollably as a sob escaped her lips. She reached to her desk, unlocking a drawer and opening it. She pulled out a dagger and showed it to her nephew and future son in-law.

Her hand was shaking as she held out the weapon for the boys to take, "You have to stab her with this... m-m-make a wound big enough for her to bleed... you... hold... hold it open with your hands... keep her from healing... after a while... she'll... she'll bleed..."

"Shh," Mike hushed, taking the dagger from his Aunt and pulling her into a warm hug. "Don't say it... we get it."

Flynn nodded, placing his hand on Kaylee's shoulder and squeezing it. He didn't like this plan, but it was for the best.

"One more thing..." Kaylee cried softly, trying to wipe her eyes, but the tears were quickly replaced with new ones, "Hit her heart... she'll bleed faster..."

"But that'll hurt..." Flynn frowned.

"Everything's going to hurt!" Kaylee yelled, drawing some attention. She pulled the boys further away and whispered, "But the faster she dies, the less time she'll have to lie there and suffer..."

Mike squeezed his Aunt, keeping her close and comforting her.

Flynn breathed in deeply, "Don't worry, Kaylee... Hayden's not going to suffer."


	29. Goodbye Part I

After drying her tears, Kaylee took Hayden into the lab and prepared themselves for the donation. The Rangers were left on the couch to ponder their final days.

"When I signed up for this... I never thought I would see today," Scott said, breaking the ice. "I mean, I knew it would come... but... here we are."

"Are we all ready for this?" Mike asked with confidence, but he was playing nervously with the dagger and occasionally exchanged hurt looks with Flynn.

"I'm ready," Dani nodded, bouncing in her seat slightly while Greg tried to keep her calm. "Summer, how are things in NewTech?"

"I gave mom the news," Summer said, "She said that while we take care of Venjix, she'll launch a full attack against Morgana and Starwing to keep them out of our hairs."

"Can they help us with Venjix?" Flynn asked, "Y'know... lend a hand."

"Starwing and Morgana are tough... like, really tough," Summer sighed, "I fought against them during the famine... If SPD plans on distracting them for as long as it takes us to defeat the big bad virus, they're going to need all the help from their military as they can."

"You seem down," Dillon remarked, patting Summer's leg, "Are you okay?"

"I'm scared," Summer admitted, moving in closer to Dillon. "This is really it..."

"Well, we still have Kilobyte, Crunch and T15," Ziggy reminded everyone. "We still didn't take them down yet."

"Venjix seemed pretty frustrated when we were at the base," Tenaya said, looking at Flynn as he nodded. "I think he realises this is his final stand."

"What would that mean for us?" Scott asked.

"Knowing Venjix, he would get all the power he could," Tenaya explained, "And Crunch and Kilobyte were pretty beat up when we left them... they were perfect."

"Perfect for what?" Dani asked.

"Did he eat them?" Ziggy added. Both were leaning forward, completely sucked into Tenaya's story.

"No...," she frowned, "He probably used their parts... that's what we did with broken or destroyed bots. We reused their parts with upgraded features. Venjix created a body for himself that didn't destroy us... maybe he's using the generals to power himself."

"Interesting," Greg nodded, "but what about T15?"

"I'm thinking Venjix' bossy side is going to be what keeps my clone around," Tenaya said, "He's always got to have a lackey. Why not choose the most powerful one?"

"You know why he's keeping T15?" Dani snickered. Tenaya looked to her, "Because he likes her, and when he finishes the human race, he's got to have someone to make little virus babies with."

"Dani, that's disgusting," Summer gasped.

"I got this," Greg frowned, shoving his girlfriend off the arm of the couch. She tumbled over, hitting the floor and landing on her butt.

"Ow... what? It's normal!"

"It's nasty," Greg laughed, "You stay there."

Daniela huffed, crossing her arms.

"Look, guys, Tenaya's probably right," Scott spoke, "Venjix probably took the worst parts of Crunch and Kilobyte for himself and T15's probably still out there."

"I'm taking her on," Tenaya called, "She's my clone. I want to wipe her off the face of the planet."

Scott nodded, "Hayden's team, Team Alpha, will take on Venjix with me. Hayden can heal, so we won't have to worry about her. Mike's strong so he can do any of the heavy lifting."

"Guns of steel," Mike smiled, kissing his biceps. Summer rolled her eyes, slapping the back of his head.

"Why do you get Venjix?" Ziggy pouted.

"Because I'm the leader," Scott smirked. "Flynn, Team Bravo, you'll take on anything Venjix throws to try and distract us."

"So, Grinders?" Flynn asked. Scott nodded.

"Exactly. If he sends Grinders to try and rip us away from him, it'll be yours and Summer's job to handle them."

"So then who do we get?" Dillon frowned.

"Dillon, Team Delta," Scott smirked, "I'll grant you Tenaya's wish. You'll deal with T15. But listen to cries of help. If you hear them, it'll be to you to divide the team to help either Alpha or Bravo."

"I guess that makes us Foxtrot?" Greg asked, "We'll get the updates on Venjix, and I'll see if Gem and Gemma can lend us a few explosions."

"Ohh!" Dani giggled, "Are we going to set up traps?"

"We might as well do something," Greg nodded.

"Alright, do you all know your names?" Scott asked the team. Everyone nodded.

"Foxtrot," Dani chuckled, "Isn't that a dance?"

"Dani... it's..."

"Are we going to beat Venjix with dance?" Dani giggled. Greg reached over, pushing on her head, causing her to tip.

Engel started to stir in her playpen, which had been moved from the lab while Kaylee and Hayden were in there. She got to her feet, holding onto the sides, and looked out at her father, Aunts and Uncles. She spotted her dad and started to cry for him.

Mike put the dagger back in his belt (the others still had yet to see it), and walked over to his baby girl. He picked her up and started taking with her.

"Hey, Eva, you're finally awake?" he spoke gently, bouncing her in his arms to calm her. Engel stuck her fingers in her mouth to sooth herself and rested her head on Mike's chest. Mike carried her back to the couches and sat with her. She seemed content just sitting with her father; almost like she knew he was leaving, and maybe never coming home.

Mike rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, "I love you, Angel," he whispered, "You're getting to be such a big girl now; ten months old and still as cute as ever."

Engel shifted slightly so she was comfortable, but continued to rest on Mike, with her fingers in her mouth.

Summer got up from the couch and knelt in front of Engel. With her free hand, Engel reached for Summer's hair. Just this once, Summer let her pull on it.

Engel giggled, playing with the blonde hair and pulling her hand out from her mouth to poke Summer. She got her spit all over Summer's cheek, but the yellow Ranger didn't care. Instead, she grabbed Engel's little hand in her own, and kissed the palm.

"I love you," she cooed, "And daddy and everyone else is going to come home, and you'll grow up happy and safe, I promise."

Engel didn't understand these words, but her Aunt Summer was happy, so she was as well. She clapped her hands and threw them in the air. Summer joined her.

"Yay!" she cheered, sneaking in to tickle her niece. Engel screamed with laughter, hiding in her father's chest. Summer laughed as well, kissing her niece before finally breaking down. She wiped the tears falling from her eyes and ran for her bedroom.

Dillon quickly got up to run after her, not wanting to leave her side for a moment. Mike got up as well, but instead of going to the bedroom, he went into the nursery.

Upstairs in the girl's bedroom, Dillon found Summer curled up on her bed. He sat down in front of her, brushing away the hair that had fallen in front of her face.

"It's okay to be scared," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her onto his lap, "I'm scared."

"It's a lot of pressure," Summer sobbed, burying her face in Dillon's shoulder. "What if I let Flynn down and the team down... and..."

"Fight your hardest;" Dillon encouraged her, "You'll do great."

"I don't want to die, Dillon," Summer whispered, "That's a reason why I left in the famine... I can't just stand around, waiting for a death that I know is coming."

"We're not going to die," Dillon assured her gently, squeezing her in his arms to keep her safe. "I won't let anyone die. I promise."

"What about yourself?" Summer asked, "I can't lose you... not again."

Dillon kissed her, "You won't."

"Dillon," Summer said, placing her hand on Dillon's chest. "I love you."

"I love you too," Dillon smiled. Summer shook her head.

"No... I _love_ you," she grinned.

"But your Aunt...?"

"Fuck my Aunt," Summer smirked.

Dillon pulled away, "I would rather not... I mean, she's good looking... for forty... but I have you right here."

Summer shut him up by pressing her lips on his. She pushed him over so they landed on the bed, with her on top of him. Dillon quickly pulled away, running to shut the door and turn down the lights before hopping back into bed with Summer.

-----RPM-----

Mike carried Engel to the nursery and sat down in the rocker. Engel yawned before looking up at her father with her beautiful blue eyes. Mike started to tear as he gazed back at them.

"Evangeline... I have to be honest with you," he whispered, stroking her head, where little brunette curls were starting to take shape, "Grandma Kaylee's planning to destroy Venjix, and when I leave... I won't be coming home until that happens."

Engel continued to look up at him. She could tell by his facial expression that now was not the time for fun.

Mike sighed, "And, baby girl, it might not happen. Venjix could win. But there's also the chance that, we lose, but your grandma leads another team to victory; maybe with all your great aunts and uncles. If that does happen, then I won't be here with you anymore... I won't see you grow up."

Mike kissed her little head, letting the tears fall, "I just want you to know, that no matter what happens to me, I'll always love you, and just like you used to do for me, I'll always be looking after you. If the worst does happen, and we're apart, always know that I'm right up there."

Engel propped her little body up, using Mike's chest to push off, and looked at her father. She spotted the little surfboard necklace he always wore and grabbed it. Gently, she examined it. Mike kissed her forehead.

"I'm going to fight for you, Engel," he whispered, "and know, that if I die, I died for you. I love you, Engel, so much."

"Love," Engel nodded, still looking at her father's necklace. Mike watched her in awe as she repeated the word he just used.

"Yeah... love..." he smiled, hugging her. "Daddy loves you, forever and always."

"Love," Engel repeated again, knowing that that word earned her a hug the first time. Maybe if she used it again, she would get another hug.

"Yes," Mike laughed, squeezing her gently and kissing her nose, "I love you."

"Love!" Engel giggled, waiting for another hug. Mike had to reward her again.

When the hugging stopped, Engel went back to resting with her father. Her eyes were getting heavy, and Mike rubbing her back was only making her sleepy.

Mike looked down at the angel in his arms. He couldn't give up now. He couldn't let Venjix win.

"I'm gonna win," he told her, "I'll win, and I'll come home, and you, me and your mother, we'll be a family..."

He chuckled as he thought about it.

"But we'll be a weird family," he laughed, "Your mommy and I we won't get married like every other mommy and daddy. But we'll both love you, and we'll live so close together you won't be able to tell the difference."

He looked down at Engel, waiting for her to respond, but all he saw was a sleeping baby girl. Looking at the time, he saw Engel was still supposed to be napping. She had woken herself up early.

Mike got up and put her down in her crib, but as soon as he let go of her, he started to tear. He couldn't bring himself to leave her. He picked her up again and held her close to himself.

-----RPM-----

Dillon fell back onto the bed, breathing heavily as he looked over at Summer. He wrapped the blankets around her body and pulled her in close. She titled her head up and kissed him.

"Perfect," she grinned. Dillon laughed, wrapping his arms around her small body.

"My thoughts exactly," he smiled. Summer pressed herself into him, until she heard something coming up the stairs. Afraid it was her aunt coming to check up on her, she bolted out of bed and grabbed her clothes.

"You could have pretended a little longer," Dillon sulked. Summer shushed him, tossing him his pants and jackets while pointing to the door.

That's when he heard the footsteps.

"I love you, Dillon, but if Aunt Kaylee finds us like this, your head will be gone and I'll be used as bait for Venjix!" Summer said, quickly throwing on her shirt. Dillon got changed in a speed that would make Dani proud. The two kissed quickly before opening the door, pretending to leave the room as if nothing happened.

The door opened suddenly for Samantha as she was walking by, scaring the twenty year old mother. She quickly turned, spotting Dillon and Summer.

"What the hell?" she asked them, breathing deeply, only to notice they were doing the same... but for a different reason.

Her big sister senses started to tingle, so she examined the two of them. They looked... rushed and... ruffled?

"OH!" she cried before Dillon placed his hand over her mouth and pulled her into the room. Summer slammed the door behind them.

Dillon put Samantha down on the bed and the couple stood over the Angel. Summer wore a pleading face.

"Sammy, please, you can't tell anyone."

"Ew!" she screamed, before realising whose bed she fell on. "EW!"

"Samantha..." Dillon growled.

"Ew, and it's still fresh!" Samantha hopped off the bed, wiping her butt as she curled up on her own bed.

"Sammy, you have to understand..."

Samantha covered her ears, "La, la, la!"

Summer grabbed her cousin's wrists, "Sammy!"

"Dirty hands!" Samantha yelled, pulling away, "Yucky hands! And they're still fresh."

Dillon rolled his eyes when Summer gave him a worried look, "And she's a mother," she sighed.

Summer tried again, keeping her hands away from the Angel.

"Sammy, we love each other."

"I don't want to know this!" Samantha twisted her face in disgust. "God... its one thing when grown up do it... but my little Summer... I remember watching you... you were so sweet and innocent... ew now you're dirty!"

"You understand though, right?" Summer asked.

"Yeah... um... okay... but... eww..."

"What do you think Hayden and Flynn did the night he proposed?" Dillon shrugged. Samantha's face twisted even more. Summer slapped Dillon for the comment and turned to her cousin.

"Hayden's not dirty, I promise you," she whispered, "She would have told me..."

"OH!" Sammy yelled, jumping up and pointing to Summer, "That's so true... and you would tell her!"

"I... I don't know..."

"NO!" Samantha yelled, "No way, José are you going to mention any of this to sweet, innocent Hayden! No planting ideas in her head you dirty... dirty Rangers..."

"All couples need a nickname," Dillon chuckled. Summer turned to him.

"I would rather not," she growled.

Samantha took a deep breath. Now she knew how her Aunt Lily felt when she saw Kira's memory of the night the not so innocent Summer was made. It felt weird.

"Look... you two are old enough to make your own decisions," she breathed. "I can't tell you what you can and can't do."

"Now she makes sense," Dillon smiled. He wrapped his arm around Summer, "You know I would never hurt her."

"I know," Samantha nodded. "And look, I don't want any details... at all... except one."

"Very good," Dillon smirked. Samantha gagged, plugging her ears.

"Don't wanna know that!" she shrieked. "It's bad enough I can't look at you two anymore... now I know it was very good."

"Perfect, actually," Dillon added.

"Dear god!' Samantha frowned. "Summer, shut him up!"

Summer smacked Dillon in the stomach and glared, "Don't disgust her. She's holding this over our heads now."

"Right," Dillon nodded. "What was it you wanted to know?"

"Did you use protection?"

Dillon and Summer's faces turned white as they looked at her other, completely worried. Samantha didn't like this look.

"You guys..." she growled. "What the hell have you done?"

Summer's hand went to her mouth as she gasped, "We..."

"... do we even own any?" Dillon asked. Samantha ran over to all the end tables, checking quickly to see if her mother stocked up, just in case.

After searching the last one, she looked up. Her face was red in anger.

"Do you know what the hell this means?" she yelled. "You could be pregnant during this huge battle!"

Summer's hand dropped to her stomach.

"Do you not remember how my mother lost me?" Samantha screamed. Summer nodded, but Dillon shook his head. Samantha growled, "You idiot, her and my father had sex before marriage, and my mother didn't know she was pregnant! She fought villains with me in her stomach, and I grew weaker and weaker, until one day, one blow totally changed everyone's life!"

Dillon wrapped his arms around Summer, pulling her in before she grew to regret this night. He glared at Samantha for making Summer cry.

"If she is... you know I wouldn't let anything happen to her or the baby, right?" he growled.

"You better not," Samantha stepped forward, eyeing Dillon dangerously. "It's your child, it's your responsibility."

"And I'm ready to take it," Dillon nodded. He refused to stand down. Summer pulled in close to him and away from Samantha.

"Are you sure?" Sammy asked. "Cravings, hormones, labour, crying, and not from the baby or Summer, dirty diapers..."

"Every night," Dillon smirked.

Samantha stood down, "Alright. But, and I'm not saying it's positive... but if there is a little Summer or Dillon Junior in there, you better hope it stays alive with Summer. If not, you'll have a very pissed off Aunt, mother and father riding up your ass for knocking her up. And you'll have a very, very pissed off Angel beating that same ass for losing it."

Dillon nodded, squeezing Summer.

"I'll take care of her, I promise," he assured the Angel. Samantha nodded, giving him a small smirk.

"I know you will."

She patted the boy on the shoulder as she headed out. Before reaching the door Summer called.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

Samantha turned to her little cousin.

"That's your job," she said.

She closed the door behind her as she left. Dillon smiled down at Summer.

"We'll be okay," he assured her. "I promise."

"And it's still early," she nodded, "There's probably nothing there."

"Regret it?" Dillon asked her. Summer shook her head, pulling Dillon in for a kiss.

"Not for a second."

-----RPM-----

Samantha shook that conversation from her brain before entering the nursery and finding Mike cradling a sleeping Engel.

"I thought you might be here," she whispered, coming to his side. She could see the tears streaming down his face as he held his daughter. "Are you okay?"

"You'll take care of her, right?" he asked his cousin. Samantha laughed.

"Of course I will," she nodded. But Mike's mood didn't lighten. Samantha stepped closer to him. "Mike..."

"Promise me you'll look after her," he whispered.

"I promise," Samantha nodded. She grabbed Mike's arms, gently pushing him to the rocking chair. She sat him down and knelt in front of him. "I know you'll come back."

"I have to," Mike breathed, "She needs a father..."

"And she has one," Samantha smiled, "Whether you make it or not, she'll know you. She'll know you loved her with all your heart, and you fought for her safety."

"What if I let her down?" Mike asked, "What if we don't stop Venjix and he kills her..."

"Then she'll live with us in the spirit world," Samantha grinned. "Everything will work out, I promise."

"I... I can't leave her," Mike started to sob. "I'm scared."

"She loves you," Samantha whispered, looking down at the small girl. "She's daddy's little girl, and nothing's going to change that."

Engel shifted in her sleep and stretched her hand. Mike moved with her as well so she could get comfortable in his arms.

Her little hand reached out as she stretched and grabbed her father's finger. She pulled his hand in close and cuddled up with it.

"See?" Sammy laughed, "She's already liking you better."

"Daddy's little girl," Mike smiled.

"And don't worry about her not knowing you, or forgetting you," Samantha grinned, "I'll tell her everything about you. I promise. This little girl will know her father, be it in person, or in spirit."

"You're the best, Sammy," Mike smiled.


	30. Goodbye Part II

After Summer and Dillon ran up to the girl's room, Dani started bouncing in her seat. She wore a bright smile that would make anyone think everything was okay in the world when in reality, things were about to get much harder.

Greg was looking up at her, admiring her ability to smile in this strange time, but confused as hell.

"Dani... you do realise that we're not calling battle against your everyday attack-bot, right?" he asked her. Dani looked down to where Greg was sitting on the couch (she was on the armrest) and frowned.

"Greg, you do realise that we're the Power Rangers," she said in a slight mocking tone, "This is our job! You love battling every other time."

"Yeah... but every other time... it's simple."

"Hey, running at light speed with a fractured knee is not simple!" Dani giggled. She reached over, patting him on the shoulder, "Nothing ever is a simple as it seems. You taught me that."

Greg nodded, "Yes, but I remember you teaching me that sometimes the answer is very simple, you made a game out of it, remember."

"Riddles?" Dani asked, "Okay... if you want to think I made them up."

"Look, Dani... I don't mean to burst your bubble, but..."

"LALALA!" Dani shouted while plugging her ears and screwing her eyes shut. Greg rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Dan, mind if we talk with a little more privacy?" he asked her, taking her hand out from her ear and holding it tight. Dani nodded, smiling as she hopped off the couch and ran over to their shared car. She climbed up onto the roof, and Greg joined her.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked him.

"I just... You know, I just want to be with you, and only you, before we leave for this battle."

"I don't get why everyone's so worked up about this battle," Dani huffed. "It's only Venjix. What if it's not the end? I mean T15 could easily turn on the almighty virus and become her own evil being."

"Let's just... okay, pretend this is the final battle. Only Venjix is left," Greg said, trying to help Daniela picture this battle in her mind. He didn't want to hurt her, or make her realise that she could be running to her own death, but he couldn't bear to see her so happy and optimistic, if the odds were against her. He wanted her to be prepared.

"Only Venjix?" Dani asked. "I got it."

"Okay, now he's almighty and powerful. He's generation..."

"Eighty!" Dani called. Greg laughed, patting her thigh gently.

"Alright, we'll say eighty," he said, "Dan... you do know there's a good chance he could win."

"But he's not generation eighty," Dani frowned, "I don't know what he's at, but he's not at eighty."

"God, you're so simple, Dan," Greg breathed deeply, trying to find another way to explain this.

There was a downside to Dani's innocence.

-----RPM-----

It had been a little while now since Dr. K had left with the others, and Ziggy thought it would be okay to go into the lab and collect the socks he had forgotten after training the day before. When he stepped in, he saw only Dr. K in the room. She was working on her computer, trying to get a head start on upgrades before the battle.

As he searched for his socks, Rebecca couldn't help but look over at him. For a long time now she had been hiding her crush from him, only admitting to a very select few that she did harbour feelings for the light green Ranger. Sure, he annoyed her to no end, but that was something she liked about him. Annoyance was something you could feel, and as a child from the soup, her feelings and emotions were very limited.

She also noticed that he was simple and innocent. He had nothing to hide (well, being a cartel was the only exception, but that was out in the open now anyways). With Ziggy, it was _what you see is what you get_. There was nothing more to understand then that.

She now realised though, that she couldn't put off telling him how she felt. It was no or never. Soon, he would be going out to battle, and he might never come home.

Dr. K would miss her chance, and she would lose some one she cared for deeply.

She felt the lump of words form in her throat, but just as they were about to come out, they disappeared and her voice sounded airy.

Fortunately, Ziggy didn't hear her. He continued to search for his socks.

Rebecca tried again, only to get the same results. She took a deep breath to calm down, and that's when she saw his socks, sitting just on top of Gem and Gemma's desk.

It was probably better to start a casual conversation with him first. Breaking the ice was much easier than confessing your feelings for the first time.

"Ziggy, are you, by any chance, searching for a pair of light-green socks?"

Ziggy jumped slightly at her voice, turning around and nodding.

"Yeah. I forgot them here yesterday. Have you seen them?"

"You would have to specify what time you would like me to refer to when asking when I've seen them. I've seen them many times before on your feet, on the floor, and in your laundry hamper. The last seems to be the least prominent."

"You went through my laundry?" Ziggy frowned.

"No. It had been left in the laundry room once, and your socks were lying on top."

Ziggy nodded slowly, "Just checking... but that doesn't answer my question."

"Nor does it help me answer your ill-phrased question," she smirked, eyeing the socks for a brief moment. She knew very well what he meant, and she knew where the socks were hiding. She just loved to toy with him.

"Okay, have you seen my socks in here?" he asked.

"Many times," Dr. K nodded. "For instance: on your feet and lying around on the floor."

"Okay, but lately?"

"Lately... yes," the genius nodded. "Yesterday, they were on your feet for a moment, before you pulled them off to slip into something more comfortable. Then, you threw them on the floor, and they remained there for a while."

"Okay... how about after that?"

"Yes," Rebecca nodded again, "As I said before, they were sitting on the floor for a few hours."

Ziggy stalked over to her computer, leaning over slightly.

"Okay, doc, I'm not joking around anymore," he said, trying to sound intimidating, but Dr. K knew there was nothing to fear. "Have they moved from that spot?"

Dr. K leaned over, glancing at the spot where the socks had been, and looked.

"They aren't there, so I believe it's safe to assume that they have moved."

"Did _you_ move them?" Ziggy asked.

"That, I can answer with a short reply," Rebecca smiled. "No."

"Did you see anyone move them?"

"Yes, several times," Dr. K nodded, "Your socks have been moved by people kicking them out of the way, picking them up and throwing them into your room, and every time they are on your feet, you move them from one point, to another."

"Oh boy," Ziggy sighed. "Dr. K, do you know where my socks are at this point in time."

Rebecca laughed; he had figured out how to properly phrase his question to avoid confusion.

"Yes," she nodded, "They are on the desk beside me."

Ziggy muttered something that didn't quite make it to Dr. K's ear as he snatched his socks from the desk. He looked at her for a moment with an annoyed look.

Rebecca wasn't expecting that look from him, bowing her head so he didn't see her reaction to his hurt look. However, Ziggy's mood didn't last long as curiosity got the better of him. He began to poke things around the lab.

"Hey, doc, what does this do?" he asked, poking an untested blaster.

"That will kill you if you toy with it," she answered him. Ziggy quickly pulled away. Rebecca got up from the computer and walked over to him. She picked up the blaster and pointed it at him. Immediately, Ziggy's hands came up.

"Whoa, okay doc, I know we've had our differences, but I'm sure that with a nice talk, maybe a little therapy, we can work things out."

"I'm not going to shoot you," Rebecca frowned, "I'm merely going to demonstrate what this weapon can do. Watch."

Ziggy curled away as Dr. K shot the blaster, hitting a target on the wall and blowing it to pieces. When he was sure he was safe, he looked over.

"Whoa," he said in awe. "Why didn't we use that before?"

"Because, it only works 10% of the time," Rebecca sighed. "I have yet to figure out how to keep it from destroying the handler."

"It didn't kill you."

"It's not fully charged."

"That's not..." Ziggy turned back to the target, noticing that it was completely destroyed, "Wow."

Dr. K nodded and took a deep breath. Now that the ice had been broken a little, maybe she could get her words out.

"Ziggy," she started, looking down at her feet. He turned to her and nodded, indicating that he was listening. "Look, Ziggy, this is very hard for me to say."

"Say it slowly then," Ziggy smiled, "It usually helps me."

"Reducing the speed of my speech will not make matters easier," Rebecca sighed, "Look, Ziggy. For the past little while I've been having these feelings..."

"Okay, stop right there!" Ziggy interrupted. "I... I can go find Kaylee or Ronny for you..."

"It's not that... well, it is... Ziggy, these feelings have been about you."

-----RPM-----

"...Then we just have to blow him up and the world is ours!" Dani cheered. Greg laughed, shaking his head.

"I wish it was that easy," he breathed.

"So do I," Dani nodded, leaning back and supporting herself with her hands. "But we're going to win..."

"How are you so sure?" Greg asked her. "I mean, we greatly outnumber Venjix if he's alone, but he's no idiot... he would bring Grinders."

"We can take them," Dani smiled, "We've done it before. They're easy!"

"Yeah, but this is the final battle, Dan... They might be upgraded Grinders."

"I wish I was a robot," Daniela huffed, crossing her arms and legs, "Then I could get cool upgrades."

"You can already run at light speed, you don't need any more upgrades."

Daniela smiled, patting Greg on the shoulder.

"I can dream."

"You can do a lot of things Dani," He laughed, "Like believe there's not a chance in the world that we can lose."

"We are going to win," Dani said with a little force. "We have to win."

"I know that, Dan, but..."

"There are no buts," Dani shook her head; "We have to win."

Greg looked over at her carefully. He noticed she was now slumped over and playing with her fingers.

"Dan..."

"We are going to win, right?" Daniela asked.

Greg quickly wrapped both his arms around her. Just from that, he could tell she was scared.

"We're going to do everything we can," he nodded.

"Venjix is getting stronger though... what if he's too strong?"

"I don't know what the upgrade is going to do to him," Greg sighed, "I didn't make it."

"But you helped make Venjix. You should know his limits!"

"I... I..."

"You helped Dr. K with the programming, and you were there when it was unleashed..."

"Dani, stop," Greg interrupted her, turning away. She was right: he had been there since Venjix' start. Just like Mike was Engel's unofficial father, he was Venjix'. Dr. K brought Venjix into the world, and he helped.

Turning back to Dani, Greg took her hands in his.

"Dani... I want you to promise me, that if things get really bad, you're going to run."

"What? ... No I..."

"You've gotta run, Dani. I can't let Venjix be the end of you. I can't allow one of my creations to kill you."

"But, I..."

"Dani, I know you're scared," Greg frowned, "I know you don't want to die. No one does! You were just trying to cover it up! I don't want you to be scared. If something happens, and it looks like we're going to lose, run."

"Greg..."

"No, Dani, not buts. Run."

"I can't leave you," Dani finally managed to say, before Greg cut her off again. "I don't want to leave you at his mercy."

"You have to..."

"NO!" Dani yelled.

"Dan, please. I know, deep down, you want to run, and I'm okay with that."

"No, no, no, no, N-O, NO!" Dani screamed, "On the surface, I want to run. Deep down, I know that, if we lose, I want to die with you."

-----RPM-----

Ziggy's jaw had been dropped for a few minutes now, and Dr. K shifted uncomfortably.

"Ziggy, the reason I'm telling you now... You might not come home and... If there was something... I would never know... maybe... maybe you like me too."

Ziggy didn't know what to say. Dr. K grew nervous as he remained quiet.

"Ziggy, you don't have to say yes... my feelings shouldn't affect your answer. I'm only doing this just in case..."

"But... but it's real, right?" Ziggy asked, "You... you like me?"

"Like is a bit of an understatement," Rebecca smirked.

"Becky... I've always liked you too, but I never thought..."

"You never thought I would return the feeling, Rebecca sighed, turning away. "I understand."

"No, no..." Ziggy ran over to her, grabbing her hand and turning her back around so she was facing him. "Yeah, I never thought you would return it. Frankly, you've been a cold hearted bitch to me."

Rebecca started to really tear up. Ziggy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"But... for some reason, I always knew there was something inside you that made you act that way because you thought I was special."

Rebecca pulled away slightly to look up at Ziggy.

"Your ego amazes me," she frowned. Ziggy laughed.

"Was my ego right though?"

"Y... yeah," Dr. K smiled, "A little bit."

"Look," Ziggy grinned, "We're not going to start anything now. You could be right about me never coming home. So, how about, when I get back from the final battle, we plan our first date."

"That sounds... great," Rebecca nodded.

Ziggy smiled as he leaned down and kissed Rebecca. She stood perfectly still and in total shock that this was happening. Before it could fully register, Ziggy pulled away.

"Just in case," he told her. "But remember that I'm fighting, hard, to come home."

-----RPM-----

Greg held Dani in his arms protectively. Not a word was said. They were both scared of the outcome of this final battle. He was scared she was going to get hurt, and he wanted her to get away, but she refused. Greg cursed her stubborn nature as he kissed the top of her head.

Dani leaned into him for a moment, before spotting her mother. Ronny was walking over slowly, obviously getting ready to say goodbye to her daughter. Dani kissed Greg quickly before sliding off the car and dashing over to her mother. Greg watched as Ronny caught the youngest Ranger in her arms and squeezed her tight. He could hear the once strong mother breaking down in tears.

He wasn't the only one afraid to lose Dani. No matter what, he was going to protect Dani. If she had to run, he was going to make her.


	31. Goodbye Part III

After giving a good amount of blood for the final battle, Hayden retreated with her mother to the kitchen. The two Brooks didn't need to say much. They both wanted to be close before the final battle.

Kaylee set down a plate of crackers and sat beside her daughter.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, poking her arm gently.

"Recovering," Hayden nodded.

"Good. Maybe in a few hours we'll go at it again," Kaylee smiled. Hayden nodded once again and began playing with her food.

"Mom, you know I'm going to live," she said. "No matter what happens Venjix can't kill me."

Kaylee turned away, "Uh...Yeah..."

"Why are you so nervous?" Hayden asked. Kaylee slowly turned back to her baby girl.

"Hay... it's natural for a mom to be scared... even if her daughter can heal."

"But you know nothing's going to happen to me," Hayden said, "I'm the one human who can't..."

Hayden paused. She hadn't thought about it before. If humanity lost, she would be the only one left on earth, either working for Venjix, or running from him. There would be no end.

"I... I don't want to heal," she muttered slowly. "Mommy..."

Kaylee wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Hayden, everything's going to work out. I promise."

"What if we lose?"

"Nothing's going to happen to you," Kaylee assured the girl. "You can be sure of it. I've got everything under control."

"How?"

Kaylee couldn't answer that honestly. She couldn't tell Hayden about the dagger.

"I don't know yet," she said, "But I promise you, you'll be okay."

-----RPM-----

Mike came downstairs after finally putting Engel to bed and spotted Flynn, alone on the couch. The others must have left to different rooms to say their own goodbyes.

Flynn heard the D-Green Ranger coming and sighed.

"Who's going to do it?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Mike frowned. "Do what?"

"Kill Hayden," Flynn explained. "Who's going to take the responsibility?"

"Whoever's left," Mike shrugged, pulling the dagger out from his pocket. "If I'm already dead, you have to do it."

"And if I'm dead, you'll do it?" Flynn asked. Mike nodded. "Okay, but what if it's just the three of us?"

"That won't happen," Mike growled.

"It could," Flynn nodded, "It's possible. And we need to discuss this."

Mike sighed sharply as he fell into the couch. His hand brushed through his hair as he looked over at the Blue Ranger.

"I should do it," he said, "Hayden's my cousin, and before Elena was born, she was the closest thing I had to a little sister. If anyone should kill her, it should be me."

Mike couldn't believe he was saying these words. His baby cousin's life now rested in his hands. Never did he ever imagine a day where he would have to kill her, especially with his own hands. His life had pretty much been centered on protecting her.

"You?" Flynn frowned, "She's my girlfriend. If anyone should put her out of her misery, it should be me."

On the outside, Flynn looked strong, but in his head, his jaw was dropped. Did he just argue with Mike about who should kill Hayden? He couldn't believe he would utter those words, never mind mean them. Hayden was everything to him, and he couldn't hurt her.

"And how long have you known her?" Mike growled, "It's only right that I do it. She trusts me to take care of her."

"What do you think that necklace means?" Flynn yelled.

Though both boys were fighting for the dagger, in their hearts, they wanted the other to hold it. Hayden meant so much to both of them, they couldn't imagine taking her life. Neither boy knew if they had the courage to wilfully stab Hayden in the heart and let her bleed to death.

But they weren't going to give up the responsibility to the other. They had been given a very important job, and they couldn't trust the other to do the job right. Mike didn't know if Flynn would know how exactly to hold the wound to keep Hayden's pain at a minimum, and Flynn didn't trust that Mike would be as caring in Hayden's last moments as he would.

"Why not deal with it when the time comes," Mike suggested, "I don't want to get into this with you right now."

"Fine," Flynn nodded. "Give me the dagger."

"You?" Mike growled, "No way, she's my cousin!"

"She's my fiancée!"

"Aunt Kaylee gave it to me!" Mike protested, "I'm holding onto it. Anyways, it's our last moments. Hayden might hug you and feel the dagger."

"So?"

"So; what if she asks you about it? This is Aunt Kaylee's dagger. It would be weird if she found you holding onto it. And you can't tell her the plan."

"Fine," Flynn grumbled, "Hold it. But that means you can't hug her goodbye."

Mike placed the dagger back under his jacket and turned to walk away. He passed by Hayden, who was walking into the room to say goodbye to Flynn.

Flynn looked over at Hayden and smiled as soon as he saw her new look. It was really the old look because she had dyed her hair back to blonde, but it had been brown for such a long time.

"I see you went back to natural," he commented, coming over to her. Hayden nodded.

"If this is the end, I want to be who I really am. I want to go down as the real Hayden Brooks."

"Makes sense," Flynn nodded.

Hayden grinned, biting her lower lip and wrapping her arms around Flynn's waist.

"Maybe, Hayden McAllister would suit me better. I mean, we are pretend-engaged... it would make just as much sense."

Flynn smiled happily, "Aye, there's a certain ring to it. I'm sure I could work with that."

"My dad would flip. I know he's fine with this, but if he hears that I plan on dropping my last name completely... aw, I'm going to break his heart!"

"Why?" Flynn chuckled.

"Mom doesn't really have his last name," Hayden giggled, "She's a Hanson-Brooks. You know celebrities and their inability to change their celebrity name."

"What about your sister?"

"Samantha Truman's got a nice ring as well. Poor little Christian is going to be the only one to carry on Dad's legacy, and he's not even blood."

Flynn laughed, "Oops."

Hayden smiled, looking up at the man she loved. She squeezed his tight and rested her head on his chest.

"This is really it," she breathed, "The end."

"The end of Venjix," Flynn nodded, holding Hayden in his arms. "Remember, there's still T15 and the other Generals we have to worry about."

Hayden backed away, shaking her head.

"While I was giving my blood, Gem and Gemma were running scans of the wastelands. There were only Grinders, T15 and Venjix who appeared on the results."

"That's good."

"No... It's bad," Hayden sighed, "Venjix used Kilobyte to power himself up, and he gave some of Crunch's parts to T15. They're both insanely powerfully now."

"We'll focus on Venjix for now," Flynn smiled, "If we can beat him, then we can beat T15."

"If you're sure."

"I'm positive, Hayden," Flynn grinned, "T15 is a Venjix dummy. Once he falls, she'll be running around like..."

"Or she'll finally be able to put her own plans into motion," Hayden frowned. Flynn squeezed her.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Hayden smiled, tilting her head up to kiss him. She stayed in his arms for a little longer before having to pull away.

"I'm going to see my sister and niece," she whispered. "I have to say goodbye to her."

-----RPM-----

Scott and Samantha found each other in the hallways, just outside the bedrooms (after Samantha found Dillon and Summer), and started their goodbyes.

They didn't say anything. Scott just pulled Samantha in his arms, needing to hold her before leading his team into this battle.

"Don't let go," Samantha finally whispered when she felt Scott's grip loosen. He pulled away, but reached into his jacket, pulling out a medal. As he pulled it on Samantha's shirt he smiled.

"This was Marcus' medal," he told her. "It was his most valuable possession in the world, and he didn't want to lose it."

Samantha pinched the medal between her fingers. Even if it wasn't something of Scott's, she knew just how important Marcus was to him, so for Scott to trust her with Marcus' greatest medal was something special.

"I don't want it," she told him, "I want you to have it. You're coming home to take it back... and you'll win your own medal..."

"And when I do, I'll take Marcus' back and I'll put mine on your shirt," Scott smiled. "I promise."

"I won't lose this," Samantha nodded.

"As long as that medal is with you, I have more than enough reason to keep fighting," Scott grinned.

Hayden made it up the stairs, but didn't move in closer. She wanted to give Sam and Scott a little time.

She watched as they kissed. When they broke, Scott spotted the young girl and smiled.

"I'll leave you two alone," he said. "But I'll be back."

Samantha touched the medal, "I know."

As Scott stepped away, Hayden moved in closer.

"Sammy, you know everything, right?"

"I only pretend I do," Samantha laughed. She glanced at the bedroom door for a minute and glared, "But sometimes I wish I didn't know what I did."

"Huh?" Hayden frowned. Samantha shook her head.

"Nothing, squirt. So are you doing your goodbyes too?"

Hayden nodded, "I said a simple goodbye to mom... kinda. And I said goodbye to Flynn. Now it's your turn."

"I don't come first!" Samantha gasped, "How dare you! I'm your sister!"

Hayden giggled, "I don't love you as much."

Samantha smirked, poking her little sister's sides, "You're a brat."

"You're a nose-hair."

"Odd."

"My job. Little sister, remember."

"You know what I'm going to miss when you guys lose, and you're forced to live out on your lonesome in the wastes?"

"My cuteness?" Hayden grinned.

"Sure..." Samantha smirked, "If you want."

Hayden rolled her eyes just as her sister poked her nose.

"Come home in one piece, Mayday," she laughed, "And I don't mean you in one piece, with extra pieces of you lying around the wastes."

Hayden took a deep breath, "Fine, if you insist. You know how fun it is when I get ripped to shreds."

"I have it filmed," Samantha teased, "I watch it every night before bed. It calms me to know you're suffering."

"Sammy..."

"But then I always get these horrible nightmares..." Samantha continued, "And they don't go away until I wake up and see you sleeping soundly in your bed... it's the strangest thing."

Hayden laughed, "I love you too, Sammy."

"Love you, Hayden." Samantha smiled. "And I meant what I said."

"I'll try not to blow up."

"No... the suffering part," Samantha joked. Hayden looked up at her with a hurt expression. Samantha instantly cured it with a bear hug. "I'm kidding. If anyone rips you apart, I'm going to remove what they value most."

"Ow..." Hayden winced, "That sounds painful."

"It's the perfect plan."

"Well, then, I've got to start bugging Dillon more," Hayden chuckled. "Maybe he'll rip me, and you'll steal his precious."

"Oh, I don't think I'll need another motive to remove his ding-dong," Samantha growled.

Hayden just looked over at her sister before shaking her head.

"Don't ever change, Sammy," she smiled, "I want to come home and find you just as plotting and evil as before."

"Don't we have a cat for that?" Samantha frowned.

Hayden knocked on the bedroom door before letting herself in. She found Summer and Dillon, wrapped in each other's arms on the bed.

"My eyes!" she teased, turning away. "It burns!"

"Shut up," Summer frowned, throwing a pillow at her. "What do you want?"

Hayden looked over at the couple, "I've come to say goodbye."

"Goodbye," Dillon said, tossing another pillow to Hayden.

Summer crawled to the end of the bed and pulled Hayden into a hug.

"This isn't the end," she assured her sister, "I promise."

"Everyone's been telling me that," Hayden giggled, "But just in case."

Summer kissed the pink Ranger on the cheek and tickled her sides, "Love you, squirt."

"I love you," Hayden smiled. She leaned over, looking to Dillon. "And, I love you too, puppy."

Dillon rolled his eyes. These Brooks girls really had to go.

Hayden frowned, "Dillon, I know, in some messed up way, you love me too."

"I love Summer," Dillon growled.

"Yeah, I know that," Hayden growled, "And if you ever love me like you love Summer I'm sure Samantha would have a thing or two to say about it..."

Dillon and Summer looked at each other nervously, afraid Samantha might have spilled the beans to Hayden.

"... I just mean love like friends," Hayden continued. Hayden smirked playfully, "C'mon, said it with me, Love you too, Princess."

"Go away."

"Fine," Hayden frowned, turning back to the door, "But when you die, you're going to have to take my mother's blood. Mine's only for people who care about me."

Dillon sighed. "I care about you, Hayden," he admitted.

Hayden glanced over her shoulder for a moment then huffed.

"Nope, I won't take it."

"What? Why?"

"You just want my blood."

"You're such an oddball," Dillon growled.

"I'm brilliant!" Hayden cackled. Summer giggled, hugging her cousin again.

"I'm gonna miss this," she laughed.

"My cuteness?" Hayden tried again.

"Sure," Summer nodded, "If you want."

Hayden frowned. She hated older sisters.

"Don't tell me you watch videos of me blowing up too!" she whined. Summer was thrown back by her comment.

"What? Who would do that? It's cruel!"

"Sammy," Hayden smirked, "It helps her sleep."

With that, Hayden skipped out the bedroom.

Dillon threw his hands up defensively.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again," he said, "You've got the weirdest family."

"Yeah, and you just might be stuck with it," Summer sighed, placing her hand on her stomach. It was still way too early to tell, but she was feeling nervous. It was hard enough fighting the battle against Venjix, now she had to worry about being pregnant. She was sure that unless something really traumatic happened, the baby would be... okay, but she was too afraid to risk it.

"Is your real family this insane?" Dillon asked her.

"No," Summer laughed. Dillon sighed in relief before she continued, "They're an angry bunch. My dad's protective as hell, my sister's a little ball of rage, and my mom... don't get me started on her multiple anger issues."

"I... you make commitment so hard," Dillon groaned.

Summer crawled back into bed next to him.

"Well, there's still a chance. You could run now."

Dillon shook his head and smiled.

"You're worth it."

-----RPM-----

Hayden said her goodbyes to her mother, her fiancé/boyfriend, her sister and her cousin (who was really more of a sister). She wanted to talk with everyone, especially Mike and her father, but she couldn't bear to say the word goodbye anymore.

Instead, she left her pink bear on her father's pillow, with a note attached. When he would go to bed that night, he would see the bear and the note addressed to him.

As for Mike, she was going to say goodbye on the battlefield if the time came. She trusted she would get that chance, because she knew he would protect her. They had been assigned as a team, and that meant that Mike was probably never going to be out of arm's reach. She could easily let him know how much she cared before the end.

Hayden sat on the couch in the main room as everyone went to their beds. She smiled, watching the team her mother created. They were all hugging and smiling (though there was sadness behind those smiles). Everyone was wishing the entire team goodnight, and a chorus of "_I love you"_s were ringing all through the room.

Before going to bed, Kaylee sat down next to her daughter. Mike and Flynn were coming back from the kitchen with a glass of water.

"You should get some sleep, Hayden," Kaylee smiled as the boys passed. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

"I know," Hayden nodded. She jumped into her mother's arms for a quick hug. "I'll see you then."

"Love you, baby girl," Kaylee whispered. Hayden got up to leave and Kaylee turned to Mike and Flynn. She saw Mike was playing nervously with the dagger under his coat.

The three of them exchanged guilty looks before retreating to their rooms.


	32. And So It Begins

Once morning came, Kaylee sounded the alarm to wake all the Rangers. Lazily, they got up and lined up in front of Kaylee.

"Well, guys, this is it," she said, "We're attacking Venjix."

"Did we have to do it at dawn?" Hayden asked, rubbing her eyes.

"My time of day," Tenaya smirked.

"We've got to attack Venjix, before he can attack us," Kaylee explained, "You guys have all said your goodbyes?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good," Kaylee said, "You guys know what to do. Stay safe."

"You know we will," Scott smiled.

"I know you'll try," Kaylee nodded. She looked over at the team of kids. For the most part, she could remember when they were born. They were so small, innocent and defenceless. Now the fate of the world was in their hands.

"Look, you brats," Kaylee started, smiling a sad smile as she looked into the eyes of all nine Rangers and Tenaya. "I don't know what the hell is going to happen today, but no matter what does, I'm proud of all of you. I don't think there was a single time were you guys threw in the towel and called it quits. It's been a long and hard as hell road, but we've made it through. Now we're in for even more hell."

Kaylee stopped, taking a deep breath, "All the pain you've felt before, it's going to double, and it's not going to stop. You guys are going to fall, you're going to bleed, you're going feel hopeless, but no matter how bad it looks, keep fighting, got it?"

"Got it," everyone nodded, turning to the people they loved, finding a reason to come home.

"Hayden's and my blood is sitting in the lab, ready for you guys. Don't make me use it."

"We won't," Scott smiled.

"And... have fun out there, guys," Kaylee smirked. "We're getting close to the end. As hard as it's going to be, if we win, these'll be the moments you look back on. When you guys walk back in here, I want to see a smile on your faces, no matter who we lost."

Everyone nodded, except for Summer and Dillon. Summer's hand went to her stomach as the two exchanged looks. Before going to bed, they discussed what they were going to do in the final battle. Dillon wanted to stay close to Summer and protect her, but that was going to be hard if they weren't on the same team. Together, they decided it would be best to ask Kaylee to switch Tenaya for Summer.

Dillon stepped forward, "Look, Kaylee... there's something I need to ask you."

"Yeah," Kaylee smiled.

"I know you've got the teams set and briefed and all... but could we maybe trade Summer for Ten?" Dillon asked. He looked over at Summer for a moment, "I can't leave her."

"Sorry, Dillon," Kaylee sighed, "I can't make an exception for that. Flynn and Hayden aren't fighting together..."

"Dani and Greg are."

"They're ranks make them partners," Kaylee said. "I'm sorry, Dillon, the answer's no."

"But it's the end..."

"It's a distraction... believe me."

"But... Summer's... she's..."

A quick smack on the back kept Dillon from uttering the words. He turned to Summer and sighed. He knew she didn't want the secret spilled, especially if she wasn't pregnant and if she could hide it, but he needed a good reason for Kaylee to consider switching the teams.

"Summer's what?" Kaylee asked, her eyes narrowing on Dillon and Summer. Samantha's eyes widened as she pulled away. Ronny noticed this and frowned as well.

"Nothing," Summer told her aunt. "I'm okay."

Kaylee glared at her niece before noticing where Summer's hand was placed: protectively over her stomach. Kaylee knew that spot... she had seen it before, every time someone was pregnant.

"You..." she growled, stepping forward, still glaring at her niece. "You better tell me I'm wrong."

"W-wrong about what?" Summer asked, stepping back. Kaylee followed her.

"I don't know, Summer, but you're an honest girl. Why don't you tell me?"

"Busted," Samantha whispered, looking over at the couple in question.

Summer looked up at her Aunt and with a guilty nod, she confirmed Kaylee's suspicions. Quickly, she lowered her head in shame, feeling like she had disappointed the woman who had taken her into her home and adopted her as her own daughter. She knew it was wrong to sleep with Dillon at this time, and that nor Kaylee, nor her own parents would approve of it, but she had done it anyway.

Dillon growled, "Leave her alone," he told Kaylee when she saw Summer starting to tear.

Kaylee backed down, "We don't have time to talk about this now," she said. "You guys have to get out there. Tenaya, you're joining Team Bravo. Summer, you'll be with Delta."

Dillon smiled, happy he was getting what he wanted. He wrapped his arms around Summer and kissed the top of her head. She turned around, hiding her head in his chest. She could feel the other's eyes burning into her.

"It's not for sure," Samantha told her mother, hoping to take some of the heat off of Summer and Dillon. "I've already talk to them and I made them realise their mistake... it's still too early to tell if they are pregnant."

"It doesn't matter," Kaylee growled. "It was stupid."

"Mom..." Hayden sighed, "I know the timing isn't perfect... but they love each other."

"Yeah," Samantha nodded. "Dillon and Summer are like our modern day Romeo and Juliet!"

Kaylee looked over at her two daughters, who were so passionate about defending their cousin.

"I said, we'll talk later," she barked.

Summer looked over at Hayden, and saw the pink Ranger giving her a small smile.

"Okay, guys," Kaylee called, opening the garage door. "As soon as you guys step out of here, Gem and Gemma are going to put the garage into lockdown. You ten aren't coming back in, and the rest of us aren't coming out. Are you ready?"

"Ready," everyone nodded, grabbing their morphers.

"Good," Kaylee smiled. Scott motioned for the team to leave and the doors started to close behind them.

As soon as the Rangers were gone, Kaylee turned to the mentoring team. Everyone saw the tears in her eyes and the pain in her heart.

"Kayl..." Dustin started, approaching his wife. Kaylee pulled away.

"Dr. K, get on the computer," she ordered. "Keep a very close eye on their energy levels and prepare the download for any weapons they might need. Ronny, run the final tests on the Zords until the Rangers reach Venjix. As soon as he's in sight I want everything to scan him. Stay in constant communication with Greg and Dani. Gem, Gemma: you two make sure Dr. K's scans come up positive. If there's a single glitch I want you two to let her know and it'll be up to you to make the necessary repairs."

Everyone did as they were told, going to their workstations and turning on every monitor possible. Kaylee put a headset on, flipping on the main screen.

-----RPM-----

The Rangers safely made it outside Corinth without a sign of Venjix anywhere. They waited in the wastes. Venjix was coming, they just didn't know when.

"This... is so not what I expected," Mike sighed, kicking up some dust.

"Maybe we're a little early?" Ziggy frowned.

"Shh," Scott hushed, turning to L-Green and Silver. "You'll give away our position."

"I have a question," Dani called, "I'm on team Foxtrot, right? Does that mean I have to know how to do the dance?"

"No, Dani."

"Well, they should come up with a better name," Dani grumbled. "Either I wanna do the Foxtrot, or I want a new name."

"You can't dance the Foxtrot," Greg sighed.

"Says you," Dani giggled.

"Foxtrot all you want," Scott groaned, "As long as the job gets done."

"Awesome!" Dani said, turning to Greg. He shook his head.

"Don't even think about it, Nascar," he frowned, "I'm not dancing."

"C'mon, are you chicken?" Dani laughed, flapping her arms like chicken wings, causing the other Rangers to laugh.

"I'm a falcon! A gold Falcon Ranger."

"You're a flying chicken," Dani grinned.

"Guys, seriously!" Summer frowned, turning to Gold and Silver, "Shut up. He's coming!"

She pointed to the distance, where the outline of Venjix and his army could be seen slowly making their way towards the city. Tenaya stepped forward, pressing a button, bringing down her visor. With her enhanced vision, she could get a clearer look at the army.

"Kilobyte and Crunch are nowhere to be seen," she informed the Rangers, "Venjix and T15 have new upgrades... I guess it's safe to assume what happened to them."

Scott nodded, "How many Grinders?"

Tenaya scanned the group, "About... a lot."

"How many?' Scott pressed.

"A lot... a lot..."

"Ten..."

"More," Tenaya smirked, "About ten thousand... and counting."

"Oh we are so dead," Hayden groaned, rolling her head back.

"Okay, change of plans," Scott called, "Hayden, Mike, you two are going to work with the Grinders. Hayden's healing will come in handy when facing all bajillion of them."

"Sounds like a plan," Mike nodded. He quickly made sure the dagger was still with him, just in case Hayden was right and they were doomed.

"Flynn, Tenaya, I'm guessing you guys want to take on T15," Scott asked. Tenaya nodded, and Flynn shrugged. It didn't make a difference to him. "Good. You guys keep her away from the rest of us. We really don't need her messing this plan up."

Scott turned to Dillon, Summer and Ziggy, "Venjix is strong. You three need to help me against him. There more of us, the more power against him."

"Okay," Dillon nodded.

"Greg, Dani, do you have your orders from Ronny yet?" Scott asked.

"So far we're helping with the Grinders," Greg announced, "But Ronny's already working on finding any weaknesses. As soon as we know anything we'll pass on the news."

"Alright," Scott nodded, "Is everyone ready? This isn't going to be easy."

"Ready," everyone smiled.

Venjix and his army stopped, still at a distance from the team, but still close enough to begin the battle.

"Hey, look who the ugly dragged in," Hayden called, quickly morphing, "Did you crack a mirror this morning?"

"Laugh all you want, pathetic Rangers," Venjix cackled, "Your end is near."

T15 stepped forward, as did Flynn and Tenaya. With a loud battle cry, Flynn morphed and the two Tenaya's powered up into their suits.

Once their weapons connected, that was the starting bell for the two teams. The Grinders leaped forward, ready to take on any Ranger they could get their hands on.

Mike, Hayden, Dani and Greg threw the Grinders off their fellow Rangers, letting them get through to Venjix before being swallowed up in the pit of robots. Scott, Dillon, Summer and Ziggy looked back at their friends for a moment, but couldn't see them beyond the sea of Grinders.

Venjix charged forward, wielding a heavy sword.

"Street sabre!" Scott called; using his own sword to keep Venjix' weapon from falling on the others. He matched Venjix' strength for a moment, before feeling the machine overpowering him.

It didn't last long though as Dillon jumped in, slamming his fist down on Venjix' chest. The evil virus staggered backwards, giving Ziggy and Summer enough time to get their attacks in. Dillon was about to jump in and help, afraid of leaving Summer alone, when Kaylee barked.

"_Dillon, fight your own battle!"_

"But Kaylee..."

"_I know it's hard, but you need to stay on task. You can't worry about this now!"_

"Aunt Kaylee's right!" Summer told Dillon, "And it's still way too early! It'll be fine!"

Dillon nodded, following the orders Scott was calling out.

Back at the garage, Kaylee turned to Dr. K.

"I can't be guessing," she told the young girl, "I need a full scan on Summer."

"Coming up," Dr. K nodded, pulling the focus on Summer's charts. "Results are in."

"And?"

Dr. K smiled.

------RPM-----

"You're a simple, low-life, hybrid!" T15 yelled, landing a hard blow on the side of Tenaya's face, sending her to the ground. "You can never match my strength."

"And you're just a clone!" Tenaya screamed, getting back to her feet and grabbing T15's arms. Flynn quickly slammed his fist in her back, but it only caused her to laugh.

"I feel no pain," she smirked, grabbing Tenaya's arms and snapping them back.

Suddenly, a Grinder flew out from the wave, hitting T15 and knocking her over before she could break Tenaya's wrists. Hayden jumped up and grinned.

"You're a poo-poo!" she yelled to the clone before the Grinders holding her up let her go, and she was swallowed up again.

Taking the distraction, Tenaya spun, lifting her leg and connecting with T15's side as the clone soared through the air.

T15 got up, without a scratch and laughed.

"That was fun," she smiled, charging for the two Rangers. "Why don't you try?"

She grabbed Flynn's arm and lifted him above her head before punching Tenaya in the chest. Tenaya flipped through the air, landing on the ground, on her stomach. She rolled onto her back, clutching her midsection in pain.

Flynn tried to make himself as heavy as possible, but T15 felt no difference. With one hand, she threw him clear across the battlefield, where he landed on the other side of the sea of grinders.

In the Grinder pit, the four Rangers were being pushed around, finding it hard to knock their enemies down.

"I hate this!" Mike yelled, calling lightning from the sky to zap a small fraction of the robots. They stood in shock for a moment, before being rebooted by their own power and continued their attacks.

"Nothing works against these idiots!" Hayden screamed, "We need something big!"

Dani was speeding around all the Grinders, avoiding their attacks, but unable to land any of her own. She stopped beside Greg, breathing deeply.

"I don't know how much more I can take."

In the garage, Kaylee look to Dr. K.

"The grinders are already too much," she told the Doctor. "Send in their first weapon."

"It's good," Gem and Gemma nodded. Dr. K smiled, pressing the button for download.

"Rangers Pink, D-Green, Gold and Silver, listen carefully," Dr. K said, "I'm sending you a weapon that should amplify a power of choice. If you use it correctly, you could take out the Grinders with a simple blow."

Kaylee smiled at the doctor before turning to Ronny, "What does Venjix look like?"

"Lily in the morning," Ronny frowned. "Aside from that, I've yet to find a weakness. His codes are unbreakable."

Kaylee nodded, "Keep trying, Ron."

-----RPM-----

The weapon appeared in Hayden's hand and she smirked.

"I'm going to use it," she told the team, "I can power up the earth manipulation gene and maybe crack this place in two. If the Grinders fall down a pit and I close it up, we don't have to worry about them."

"Good thinking," Greg nodded, "That means the rest of us should scatter."

"On it!" Dani smirked, grabbing both Greg and Mike by the hands and speeding off. Hayden aimed the weapon at herself and pulled the trigger.

For a moment, she glowed a faint yellow, and she could feel her father's powers growing. With a smirk, she dropped the now useless weapon and looked at the crowd of Grinders.

Her eyes narrowed as she smirked, whispering, "Come get me."

Taking the invitation, the Grinders charged. Hayden's hands rose up to the sky and the ground under her feet started to shake.

This didn't stop the little robots from advancing on her as one grabbed her arms. Hayden frowned, quickly breaking the earth with a small crack.

The small crack stopped the rumbling for a moment, but with a little focus from Hayden, that crack grew into a larger slit. Suddenly, the battle field split into two. Venjix and the four Rangers on one side, T15, Flynn and Tenaya on the other. Dani, Greg and Mike were too far out of sight now, but Hayden was sure they were safe.

Unfortunately, the split was created right where Hayden was standing. She tried to jump up before the hole could swallow her, but the Grinder kept his hold on her and as he fell, she did too.

As she plummet to the center of the earth, Hayden clapped her hands together, shutting the large hole. The Grinders, as well as herself, where crushed by the force of the rocks coming together.

"Hayden!" Mike screamed as Dani brought him and Greg back to the battle.

Venjix smirked. His army of Grinders was gone, but he was feeling better than ever. He quickly grabbed Dani, Greg and Mike, forcing them into battle against him.

"Looks like your Pink Princess is gone," Venjix smirked.

"I wouldn't underestimate her Ninja training," Summer grinned, "She's coming back."

"Poor Rangers, always have misplaced confidence," Venjix roared, knocking Summer off her feet. Dillon quickly caught her before she landed on the ground.

Not too far, where the earth had split, a little rock moved out of place suddenly. It couldn't have been from the two battles going on, seeing as they were too far to cause the rock to move.

Then, the ground itself began to shake slightly and a little hole was formed. The dust and dirt started to cave into that hole slowly as it grew larger and larger.


	33. The Battle

Dr. K smiled at Kaylee, turning the screen to show a visual of the results.

"It's negative," she said, "Summer's okay to go all out."

Kaylee nodded.

"Dillon, Summer, I have some news."

"_Is it about Hayden?"_ Dillon asked, and Kaylee saw him fly across the battlefield. "_We could really use her help right now."_

"Hayden will be fine,"Kaylee assured him, quickly taking a look at Dr. K. She nodded, meaning Hayden's vitals were still high. "This is news about the pregnancy."

"_Aunt Kayl..."_

"There's nothing," Kaylee said. "You two are good. But next time be more careful. If you were pregnant and you did lose that child I would have both your heads on a shining silver platter!"

-----RPM-----

Summer had run over to Dillon, helping him to his feet. They both exchanged looks through their helmets and nodded.

Suddenly, from the ground, Hayden burst out, quickly ninja streaking over to Venjix and hitting him with a fury of attacks. Dani joined in, running as fast as she could.

She giggled. When she ran at the speed of light, everything slowed down to a standstill. It was only because Hayden was Ninja streaking that her plan worked out.

Dani was still much faster, so between Hayden's blows, Dani would come in a fire as many shots as possible. Within moments they knocked Venjix off his feet.

She growled, the little eye on his head glowing red.

"GRINDERS!" he screamed as a new wave of the monsters appeared.

"Damn, shit, shit, damn!" Dani yelled, speeding through the Grinders, hoping to take them out quickly. Venjix smirked.

Venjix watched as Dani single-handily took out a great fraction of the Grinders he had just created. With her speed, the Grinders posed very little threat.

"Grab her!" he ordered, swinging his arm and knocking Scott to the ground, as if the Red Ranger were merely an annoying fly.

The Grinders did as they were told, grabbing a hold of Dani.

"Hey, no, let me go!" Dani yelled, struggling as the Grinders lifted her feet off the ground. With nothing to push off of, Dani was trapped at regular speed.

"Leave her alone!" Greg screamed, leaving the fight with Venjix to try and reach Dani. However, the Grinders surrounded her, waiting for their orders from the master.

"Keep her immobile," Venjix smirked, grabbing Greg by the back of the neck and throwing him down.

One of the grinders pulled out a hand blaster and aimed it at Dani's leg. Human biology had been programmed into software and he knew that humans used their legs to run. If her legs couldn't move, she couldn't run.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee quickly turned to the Boom-twins, "Grinder's going to take fire. Get the first sample of blood."

"Yours or..."

"... Hayden's?" the twins asked.

Kaylee looked back at the screen, seeing Daniela struggling to break free as the Grinder took its shot.

"She's going to need everything she can get. Dr. K, prepare the download for the first blood donation. Send it to the Ranger nearest Dani after the injury."

-----RPM------

Dani winced, watching as the blast happened. It cut into her leg and she screamed in pain.

Venjix knew the Gold Ranger would want to run to the scream. He threw Greg down and put his leg on the gold Ranger's chest.

"_Someone get to Dani!"_ Kaylee called over the communicator. _"Downloading Hayden's blood! Don't lose it!"_

Scott swung his street sabre at Venjix, but the robot lifted his arm, using the metal to protect himself from harm.

"Someone, GO!" Scott screamed, "I'll hold him off."

"Pathetic," Venjix laughed. He pushed of Greg with one leg, spinning around and lifting the other. His foot connected with Scott's chest, sending the Red Ranger flying into Dillon and Summer.

Mike caught Summer and Scott in his arms while Dillon landed right beside him.

"Hayden, go!" he told the Pink Ranger, "We'll deal with the virus!"

Hayden nodded, letting Scott, Summer, Dillon and Mike deal with Venjix as she ran over to the ground of Grinders. She jumped over the head of the first row forming the circle and landed on the shoulders of the next row.

Calling up a rock from the ground, she lifted Dani out from the pit and hopped up. They hovered on the rock, in mid air, just out of Grinder reach.

Hayden knelt down next to Dani. Thankfully she was still morphed, but the area where her leg had been shot was exposed.

"Ouch," Hayden winced, seeing the scorched fleshed. Dani whimpered slightly, waiting for help.

"I can't move it," she whispered to her cousin.

"Don't worry," Hayden smirked. A small glass viral appeared in her hand. Hayden unscrewed the top and poured the blood on her hand, covering it. When the container was empty, Hayden tossed it aside and placed her bloody hand on Dani's injury.

Contact with the wound made Dani scream, but the pain didn't last too long as the blood worked it's magic and Dani's leg started to heal. Hayden wiped her hands on the earth rock below her and turned to Venjix.

"Hey, Nascar, feel like crashing?" she asked as Dani slowly got back to her feet.

"That depends, Princess. Who are we crashing into?" Dani smirked.

Hayden threw her hand forward and the mound of earth below her feet followed, diving down towards Venjix and slamming right into his back.

"Aha!" Hayden cheered as the earth-rock shattered and she and Dani hopped off quickly, tucking their feet in and rolling.

Greg caught Dani, helping her back up, while Hayden quickly recomposed herself.

-----RPM-----

"Turbo cannon!" Flynn called, resting his weapon on his shoulder and aiming it for T15, joining in the battle of blasters the two Tenaya's had started moments ago.

"That's a big cannon," T15 frowned. Now that both Tenaya and the Blue Ranger were firing at her, she didn't know who to take out first. "Oh well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

She charged up her next shot, keeping her aim on Tenaya and her eyes on Flynn. Just as he pulled the trigger, she shot her blast.

The mass of energy connected with Tenaya, throwing her to the ground, while T15 prepared to counter the blast sent by Flynn. She quickly switched her blaster back to her hand and caught the energy.

"She can do that?" Flynn asked, running to Tenaya's side and helping her up.

"Apparently," Tenaya nodded.

T15 absorbed Flynn's energy with a grin then snapped her wrist. Instantly she started to glow.

"Watch what else I can do," she said, running forward as the glow around her grew.

"It's going to blow!" Tenaya screamed, but it was too late, T15's energy already exploded, hitting the two and she followed up, changing her hand into a blade and slicing both her enemies across the chest.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee watched the battle against T15 with worry.

"Dr. K, download my blood," she said. Dr. K nodded, downloading a small plastic container of blood to both Flynn and Tenaya.

"Is it time for another weapon, Kaylee?" Gemma asked hopefully.

Kaylee shook her head, "I don't think weapons are going to work," she sighed, "With these upgrades, Venjix and T15 seems to be able to absorb attacks... am I right."

"On the money," Ronny nodded. She pushed a button and sighed deeply.

"Rangers, can you hear me?" she spoke, her voice ringing through everyone's communicators.

"_Shit,"_ Scott grumbled, rolling away from another attack, _"Loud and clear, Ronny."_

"Cease all fire!" Ronny ordered, "Nothing will work against T15 and Venjix. They'll take the blasts and use them against you. Cease all fire!"

"_You've got to be kidding me!"_ Ziggy growled.

"I wish I was," Ronny sighed. "Over and out."

Ronny turned off her communicator, leaving herself with only Dani and Greg to talk to. She looked over at Kaylee sadly.

"I had to tell them," she said.

"I know," Kaylee sighed.

The mentor looked over at the screen with a heavy heart. The Rangers weren't doing much damage to the virus and his lackey, but, judging by how invested Dr. K was in her work, it seemed Team Virus was doing a hell of a good job inflicting damage on the Rangers.

"Energy has dropped to an average of 70%," Dr. K called, "And that's including Hayden."

"Take Hayden out of the picture," Kaylee ordered.

"You're not going to like it," Dr. K sighed.

Over in the main room, Dustin and Samantha were watching the battle from the TV, while Christian and Engel played together.

Playing, was a bit of a euphemism though.

Engel was sitting on Samantha's knee as the mother bounced her, trying to keep the ten-month old from bursting into tears. Though she was only a child, Engel's spirit sensed the tension and trouble, and she knew something was up.

Christian was standing in front of his little niece, playing with her hands to try and keep her entertained. Being a few years older than Engel, he was more aware of the battle going on, but with his back turned to the TV, he wasn't aware of just how bad it was going.

Samantha and Dustin watched on nervously as T15 delivered another fury of attacks, forcing Flynn and Tenaya to back away. Unfortunately, the more they stepped back, the closer they got to the battle with Venjix.

"_We have to keep her away from him!"_ Flynn shouted.

"_How do you plan on doing that?"_ Tenaya growled.

Dustin looked over at Samantha and saw the worry on her face. His heart fell as he watched his daughter, son and Engel. If the Rangers couldn't win, what would happen to them?

Suddenly, Samantha gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth and her other pulling Engel in close. Christian turned to the screen when he saw his sister's eyes flood with tears, and he too screamed.

"DADDY!" he yelled, running to his father and burying his head in Dustin's lap. Dustin grabbed the boy in his arms and turned back to the TV.

The screen was filled with smoke and fire, but nothing else could be seen. Dustin and Samantha picked up their respective children and ran into the lab.

"What's going on?" Dustin asked.

"Ranger vitals are falling fast!" Dr. K announced to Kaylee.

"Venjix systems are working well!" Ronny added.

"Shit!" Kaylee growled.

"All access to weapons has..."

"... gone boom!"

"What happened!" Samantha screamed.

Kaylee turned to her daughter sadly, "I wish I knew."

"Average has dropped to 45%," Dr. K called, "Kaylee, we're screwed!"

"DON'T!" Kaylee yelled, "Don't you dare!"

Dustin turned to Samantha. He had missed what caused the fire and smoke, but she had seen it. The look of fear and worry in her eyes told Dustin she had an answer for him.

"What did Venjix do?" he asked her.

Samantha started to shake, "He powered up and fired... then the screen was filled with flames and..."

"Dani can you hear me?" Ronny yelled into the morpher, "Daniela Marks, answer me!"

"Hayden!" Kaylee called, knowing Hayden might be the only one to respond, "Hayden, c'mon answer!"

"_We're still okay,"_ Dani's voice echoed over the speakers.

"_Define okay?"_ Mike's voice added.

Ronny felt relief wash over her, knowing her daughter and the rest of the team was okay.

Over on the battlefield, Venjix and T15 were standing over the Rangers, each struggling for breath and feeling the pain from any injury the explosion had caused them. They had all been powered out of their Ranger suits, leaving them defenceless and at the mercy of Venjix.

"I should just kill you all now and get it over with," Venjix chuckled, eyeing the Rangers, "Which one would be best to kill first."

Regeneration was a blessing for Hayden as she watched Venjix grab Scott and T15 grab Dillon. She smirked, kicking herself to her feet.

"Na-na-na-na boo-boo!" she teased, sticking her tongue out, "You missed me!"

Venjix quickly turned to T15, "Leave D44 and get her!"

Hayden's teasing expression dropped into one of horror as she took off, rounding the rocks and stones to keep T15 off her back. The upgraded version of Tenaya was fast though, quickly making up ground.

"Mom," Hayden called into her morpher, "This is the part where your years of experiences come in handy!"

"_On my call, flip backwards,"_ Kaylee said. Hayden nodded, tucking the morpher back into her jacket. She wasn't going to need it to listen to her mother. _"Ready, and go!"_

Hayden stopped, using what momentum she could to jump backwards, flipping over T15 and landing behind her.

"Ohh," Hayden giggled, until T15 turned. Hayden quickly bolted off in the other direction, running back towards her friends.

Venjix growled, watching the pink Ranger outsmart his generation 15 attack bot. He definitely wasn't pleased.

"Tenaya 15, get her!" he screamed.

"I'm trying!" T15 growled, launching herself at Hayden, but the blonde Ranger ducked, causing T15 to throw herself over her, "But she's being a bitch."

Tenaya, being part robot, didn't need as much healing as the Rangers, quickly getting back to her feet and grabbing a hold of T15 before she could throw herself as Hayden once more.

"That's my little cousin you're talking about," she smirked. She grabbed T15 in a chokehold. It wasn't very effective, because T15 wasn't human, but it did keep her from hurting Hayden.

"What are you doing?" T15 asked. Tenaya smirked, changing her hand into a blaster.

"There's only room for one Tenaya in this world," Tenaya grinned, firing the blaster. T15 didn't feel the pain as the shot ripped a hole through her body, but it was definitely there as her mid-section disappeared.

"Well," Tenaya laughed, dropping T15 to the ground as the robot laid in shock, "I guess even the best of clones can't ever be as perfect as the original."

T15 got back to her feet, holding her stomach area with her hand as she ran back to the palace for repairs. Tenaya growled and tried to run after her, but Hayden grabbed her cousin's shoulder.

"Let her go," she said, "We've got to focus on Venjix. He's not easy."

"But..."

"We'll deal with her later. I promise."

Tenaya nodded, and the two cousins ran over to the Rangers, helping them up.

"Looks like it's just you now, Venjix," Scott smirked. He was clutching his shoulder and holding his hand over his tight as it bled badly, but he still managed to stand on his own. His team stood behind them, in their respective sub-groups, ready to back up their leader.

Venjix laughed, "I don't need an army to defeat you. They were just here for show."

"Yeah?" Dillon scoffed, "Prove it."

"No, you don't tell the bad guy to prove himself!" Ziggy sighed, "Now he's gonna!"

Scott shook his head while pulling out his morpher.

"One more time, ready, Rangers?"

"Ready!"

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!"


	34. Tool of Death

Venjix watched as the bright light surrounded the Rangers, causing them to morph into the hideous brightly coloured spandex. He grinned to himself, drawing his sword and eyeing the teenagers.

"Which to kill first?" he laughed. His eyes stopped on Tenaya. She was the only one not covered by the light. His sword switched into a blaster and he took his shot.

"_Dawn, watch out!"_ Tenaya heard her uncle yell, but it was too late. By the time those words reached her ears the blast had already reached her body. Tenaya could feel the pain as skin and mechanical pieces were ripped open.

"Bastard!" Hayden yelled, watching as her cousin dropped to her knees and hitting the ground lifelessly. She turned on Venjix with a deadly gaze. "I just got that cousin back!"

Scott looked over his shoulder at the Rangers, "Screw the old plans! Everyone attack!"

Venjix smirked as nine teenagers rushed him, each drawing their own weapons. He didn't fear them though. They were human, therefore their body needed energy to function.

The battle had been going on for hours now, and Venjix knew that the humans weren't going to pose much of a threat. They had already powered down once.

"Your end is near," Venjix cackled as dark light surrounded him, radiating energy from his body.

"_Guys, fall back!"_ Ronny yelled, _"He's got enough energy to kill all of you!"_

"Do you have a weakness yet?" Dani asked her mother as she and the team tried to push their way to Venjix. The energy working with him was keeping them back.

"_I'm trying, Dani, but he's some kind of super virus."_

"No... really?" Dani frowned.

"Don't argue!" Ziggy yelled, "It's not helping!"

"Might as well do something," Venjix smirked, outstretching his arms on either side, "Nothing's going to help you."

With that, Venjix let out a loud battle cry as the energy exploded, knocking the Rangers off their feet and powering them down for a second time. The dust was kicked up, keeping Venjix from seeing what he had caused for a few moments, but when it settled, he laughed.

The Rangers were on the ground, withering in pain, if they were even moving. Scott, Dillon, Summer, Ziggy and Tenaya were now all knocked unconscious.

Dani lifted her head, coughing as the dust got into her lungs. She saw the motionless bodies beside her.

"Summer... Ziggy?" she called weakly.

There was no answer.

"Dani," Greg crawled over to his girlfriend and dropped next to her. "Dani... I don't think..."

"No..." Dani frowned.

Mike and Flynn, both still conscious but in searing pain, exchanged worried looks. Thankful Dani and Greg weren't dead because they didn't have to kill Hayden, but panicked because it looked like everyone else was.

Hayden managed to get to her feet, but dropped. She was uninjured, but she was tired. All the healing her body was required to do was taking its toll on her every.

Suddenly, the remainder of the containers of blood were downloaded into her hands as a warning from the twins echoed over the communicator.

"_That's all we managed to get."_

"_Don't lose it."_

Hayden clutched the little plastic tubes tight, wishing her mother had allowed her to give more blood. She slowly stumbled over to her friends.

Venjix smirked, making his way over to Hayden, "What do we have here?" he asked, watching her move over to the others. "Could it be your blood? Don't tell me you plan on helping your friends."

Hayden looked up in horror at the machine, but holding the little containers tight. Venjix hovered over her, aiming his blaster for her head.

"Leave her alone!" Mike yelled, grabbing a decent sized rock and throwing it at the monster. The rock hit Venjix' metallic body, bouncing off with only a clang to prove it hit him. Venjix turned the blaster on Mike and shot.

Mike rolled out of the way of the blast, but he was hit with some of the energy. Venjix turned back to Hayden.

"I can't allow you to destroy all my hard work."

"NO!" Hayden screamed, turning her back to Venjix to try and protect the containers from his shot. But the blast was too strong. It knocked her down and she crushed every container, spilling the blood.

"_No, you're not supposed to..."_

"_... heal yourself with it!"_

Hayden pushed herself up, looking down in horror as her own blood stained her shirt and the dirt.

"Dammit!" Greg yelled. Now that the blood was gone and five of ten Rangers were probably dead _and_ four of the remaining five were having trouble keeping their heads up, the battle was hopeless.

He turned to Dani, "Run."

"No," Dani shook her head. "I can't... I can't leave you here."

"Daniela, RUN AWAY!" Greg screamed. Using all the power he had left, he got to his feet and helped Daniela up as well. He grabbed her arm and threw her in the direction of NewTech city. "I won't let Venjix kill you."

Dani regained her balanced after being shoved forcefully and stood her ground, "I'm not leaving."

Greg sighed. He couldn't allow her to stay while his and Dr. K's creation wreaked havoc in the world. She was everything to him and more.

He pulled out a small hand blaster and fired it at her. Dani jumped back, away from the shot, looking up at Greg in horror.

"What are you doing?" she asked him. Greg didn't answer. He simply shot at her again.

"Greg, stop!" Dani screamed, having to use her speed to avoid the last one. Greg continued to fire at her, "STOP!"

"Run away!" he yelled. Not wanting to be blown to pieces by Greg, Daniela took off, running as fast as she could to safety. Greg pocketed the blaster and turned to Venjix. "I'll hold him off."

"You think you can protect the precious little silver Ranger?" Venjix taunted.

Flynn punched the ground with his fists, pushing himself up. He glared at Greg, angry he was chasing away Dani. The less Rangers on the battle field, the closer it came to Hayden's possible death.

"What are you doing?" he yelled.

"I can't watch her die because of me!" Greg explained to the angry blue Scotsman. "You would do the same for Hayden."

Flynn nodded, until he remembered his promise to Kaylee.

"I... I..."

"I'm sorry I'm not helping our numbers. But I just can't let Venjix hurt her... Dani's got to stay alive."

Flynn lowered his head in shame as he turned to Mike. Greg's words had struck him right where it hurt. He loved Hayden, dearly, and he couldn't watch her die because of his actions... but that was his plan. If things continued the way they were going, Hayden was going to die, and it was going to be because of him.

Indirectly, if Mike did it, because Flynn knew of the plan and he would most likely be holding Venjix off until Hayden was dead; or directly if he wound up with the dagger in his hands.

Greg didn't wait around for Flynn to respond. He couldn't let Venjix go after Dani, even if that wasn't the virus' plan. He charged the big, metallic monster.

Venjix caught Greg's wrists in his large hands and snapped them back. His brought his knee up into Greg's stomach. The gold Ranger doubled over in pain. Venjix let go of one of his hands, bringing his elbow down on Greg's back.

Greg fell at Venjix' feet and Hayden, Mike and Flynn could only watch his end. Quickly, Venjix rammed his foot into Greg's head.

Hayden screamed, turning away in the final moments. She looked at Mike, lying beside her.

"Is he..."

"I can't tell for sure but..."

"Don't," Hayden interrupted.

"Well, well, well," Venjix chuckled, kicking Greg away and approaching the remaining Rangers. "Down to three, are we?"

Hayden, Mike and Flynn looked worried. Every step Venjix took seemed to lead them closer to their end. Even Hayden, who knew she couldn't die at his hands, was shaking in the fear and worry about what was going to happen.

-----RPM-----

"Mom, their done," Samantha breathed, turning to her mother, "The blood is gone and the others are out!"

Kaylee turned to Dr. K, "What does it look like?"

"Death," Dr. K sighed, "Rangers Red, Yellow, Black, L-Green, Gold and Tenaya are showing no signs of life. Ranger Silver's run so far she's off the map, and Rangers Pink, D-Green and Blue have little to no chance of defeating Venjix."

Ronny and Dustin looked to Kaylee, "We've got to help them," they said.

"We can't," Kaylee sighed, dropping her head back to keep her tears from falling. "The three of us will only stall Venjix for a little while. You saw how easy this battle is for him! And he's still laughing."

"Well we can't just sit here and watch as he kills our kids!" Dustin yelled. "Summer's already dead!"

"And Venjix didn't hesitate while taking out Greg!" Ronny added.

"I know... but we're plan B!" Kaylee argued. "If the kids fail I'm calling Tori, Blake, Rose, Mack, Tommy and Jason out from the bunkers, and we're going to try!"

"Call them out now!" Ronny screamed.

"I can't!" Kaylee cried. "If I could, I would! But we've got rules and codes..."

"FUCK CODES!" Ronny yelled, "It's the end of the world!"

"None of the morphers are ready!" Kaylee growled, "If we go out there without powers, Venjix is gonna do far worse to us then he's done to the kids."

Ronny took a long breath while glaring daggers at her "twin", "I hate you so much right now."

"Ronny, I'm sorry," Kaylee's lower lip began to quiver; "You know how much I love all these kids, and this city. If there was anything I could do... I would do it."

"In any case, Kaylee's right," Dr. K said. "If you guys go out right now, Venjix is going to dispose of the Rangers quickly so he can focus on you. At least if he toys with their end, they have a little time."

"A little time to do what?" Dustin asked. "They're suffering! They're hurt! They're scared!"

"They're smart," Samantha smiled, "They'll come up with a plan."

"They have one," Kaylee said, "At least, Mike and Flynn do."

With a heavy heart, Kaylee made her way over to the communicator.

"Flynn, Mike, we can't wait any longer. You know what to do," Kaylee sighed.

Everyone turned to look at Kaylee in shock. Though they had no idea what the plan was, her tone of voice and her body language told everyone what they needed.

One the battlefield, Mike looked over to Flynn. Hayden looked to the two boys.

"What the hell?" she asked them. Her eyes widened when Mike pulled out Kaylee's dagger.

"Here," the green Ranger said, tossing the dagger to Flynn. "You win. I can't do it."

"You... you can't do what?" Hayden asked, slowly backing away from the two boys. She looked over to Flynn. "What... what are you going to do?"

One look at Hayden's horrified face, and Flynn knew he wasn't going to be able to get the job done. He tossed the dagger back to Mike and shifted so he was facing Venjix.

"I can't either. I'll keep the big bad virus off. Just make sure I don't hear anything."

Flynn didn't turn back before charging at Venjix, throwing himself on the walking virus and fighting with all the power he could. Venjix continued to dominate, but Flynn couldn't give up. He couldn't let the evil lord ruin the plans to keep Hayden safe.

Mike played with the dagger for a moment and looked over at Hayden sadly.

"I didn't want to have to do this," he told her, stepping closer. Hayden pulled back, feeling a sense of fear and panic for her life wash over her. She had never felt this before.

Fresh tears flooded from her eyes as she stumbled over some stray rocks and fell on her back.

"Hayden, you know I only want to protect you," Mike said. He wiped the tears from his eyes and knelt down in front of his little cousin.

Though the wastelands were dead, they were known to see the fall of rain every once in a while. As Mike lifted the dagger into the air, lightening struck.

Mike brought the dagger down, with the rain, striking Hayden in the heart. He made sure the dagger dug in deep enough before pulling it out and quickly sticking his hands inside. Hayden screamed and tried to pull away but the pain from the dagger and from her family's betrayal hurt too much to allow her to move.

Mike ripped the wound open, allowing Hayden to bleed. He turned away from her as he did this. He couldn't look at her.

Hayden grabbed his wrists, trying to pull his hands out, but she was so desperate and upset that she couldn't muster the strength to do it.

She knew why he was killing her. If she survived and humanity fell, she was going to live a life of pain and suffering. No one in her family wanted that. But she couldn't believe they would go so low as killing her.

As the rain fell on everyone's body, Mike felt the pain of the radiation enter in his cuts and scratches. He could only imagine how much more painful this made the whole experience for Hayden. The radiation was burning at his surface wounds, and here he was, keeping a deep wound pried open, allowing the acid rain to fall into it.

Hayden screamed once more, begging her cousin to stop. Suddenly, she fell limp, but Mike couldn't stop. She wasn't dead yet.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee turned to Dr. K, "Let m-me know when she's ... d-d-dead..." she said, choking on her words.

Dr. K nodded. In the years she's known Kaylee, she learned not to question the older women's tactics. Though they were sometimes odd, they always seemed to work out for the best.

From the silence in the room, it seemed Dr. K wasn't the only one to know this.

"Hayden's energy levels are dropping quickly," she sighed.

Suddenly, there was a loud beep as Dani's signal was picked up by the systems. Everyone turned to the monitors as a silver blur raced across the screen, colliding with Venjix, throwing him off Flynn and giving the blue Ranger time to breathe.

Dani stood where the blur stopped, glaring angrily at Venjix.

"_NO ONE messes with my family and lives to tell the tale!"_ she screamed.


	35. Poisonous Ends

Dani stood, breathing deeply and glaring daggers at Venjix.

Over in the garage, Dr. K couldn't believe it. Dani's return wasn't the only surprise awaiting everyone. It must have been when Greg's subconscious heard Dani's voice that he began to wake.

His energy levels were starting to rise once more, quickly reaching 10% and continuing to grow.

Suddenly, his figure rose up on the battlefield.

"Venjix is not going to win," he said. He turned to the rest of his fallen friends, "C'mon guys. Think of what we're fighting for."

Scott suddenly started to stir, and the others quickly followed his lead. Mike and Flynn watched their friends return from the dead in total awe.

Mike's hands, however, were still letting Hayden's blood seep out from her body. Slowly, but surely, he was still killing her.

-----RPM-----

"This isn't possible," Gem and Gemma both said, running over to Dr. K and glancing at the screens from over her shoulder, "We thought they were dead."

"They aren't," Ronny grinned.

Dustin suddenly realised the one flaw.

"Kaylee, Hayden's still dying!"

Kaylee's eyes widened as she realised this as well. She fumbled around for her communicator, but she was too anxious to get a strong grip on it. If she arrived even a nano-second to late, Hayden would have died for nothing.

"Fuck this!" Kaylee screamed, "It's Zwopping time!"

A cloud of smoke appeared, replacing Kaylee as the zwop sound echoed through the room. All eyes were on the monitor, waiting for Kaylee to appear and stop Mike.

-----RPM-----

Mike barely had time to notice the cloud of green smoke before his aunt jumped out of it, tackling him to the ground and pulling him away from Hayden. Mike was too stunned to do anything, but Kaylee quickly turned back to Hayden.

"Mayday..." she called, using the nickname the Brooks and Summer had given her. She stepped over to her daughter carefully.

"What's going on?" Flynn managed to say as he helped the other Rangers up. He grabbed Scott's arm, gently pulling his leader to his feet.

"We all have someone back at home waiting for us," Scott explained, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Or something worth protecting," Dillon nodded, helping Summer to her feet. Summer quickly glanced over at Hayden, seeing the blonde lying in the dirt, covered in her own blood.

"What happened?" she asked the two boys.

"We... it was..." Flynn tried to answer, but he couldn't.

Daniela helped Greg up and turned to Blue and D-Green. Her eyes narrowed on Mike.

"He killed her!" she screamed. Though she had appeared at super-speed, she had seen Mike holding Hayden's wound open.

Summer looked over at her older cousin. She couldn't believe it. Mike had dedicated almost his entire life to protecting others, especially Samantha Jr., Hayden and herself. He couldn't have killed Hayden, could he?

"Hayden, c'mon, baby girl, wake up," Kaylee whispered, touching her daughter's hand.

Venjix chuckled, rubbing the spot on his chest where Dani had hit him. It did sting, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"Well, I didn't kill the team, but maybe you ten are going to kill yourselves?" he laughed.

"Shut up!" Mike screamed.

"I'm just pointing out the facts," Venjix shrugged, "The pink one could heal, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Dillon asked. He was willing to let the virus talk, if he was going to bring up a good point.

"Look at her injury," Venjix smirked, "If she was still alive, don't you think she would be healing."

Dillon took Summer's hand in his as he looked over to the princess. Venjix was right; the wound Mike created wasn't healing.

"SHUT UP!" Mike roared, finding the energy to quickly morph and attack. He pulled out his nitro blaster and began shooting at will. The blasts came down on Venjix like the rain, causing his to stagger backwards.

Dani growled, jumping into super speed. She ran between Mike's blasts and checked Venjix, knocking him over. She landed on top of him, quickly powering up and slamming her fist in his face, over and over again.

Flynn joined the attack as well, morphing as quickly as he could and pulling out his turbo cannon. Knowing Dani could easily avoid the blast if she ran at light speed, he fired.

Dani heard the shot and quickly jumped away, just missing the force of the blast. The energy that did hit her, caused her to roll on the ground, where Greg quickly caught her.

He looked over at Venjix, "This means war."

He morphed as well before disappearing. His mother blessed him with invisibility, and he was going to take full advantage.

Venjix didn't seem him coming as the gold Ranger threw himself at the virus, attacking with all the energy he had left.

Scott turned to the remained of his team. Summer, Dillon and Ziggy all nodded.

"RPM, get in gear!" they called.

Just before they reached Venjix, Mike, Dani, Flynn and Greg stopped them. The eight Rangers got a look at the once strong virus.

His armour was cracked, leaving his mechanical parts exposed.

"I'm so going to kill this shithead," Summer growled, pulling out her nitro blaster and shooting, right for the parts. There was a loud crunch as she connected with Venjix' leg and it tore off.

Venjix fell over, unable to support himself, and squirmed on the ground in pain.

"Anyone have any cool toys for us?" Scott asked. "I don't think counter-strikes will be much of a problem now."

"_I've got one, but it's untested,"_ Dr. K's voice came.

"_So far we..."_

"_... haven't found a problem with it," _Gem and Gemma spoke.

"_There is one thing though,"_ Ronny laughed. _"I've got the blueprints on my screen, and I'm seeing something you're not going to like, Scott."_

Knowing Ronny's voice only came when there was bad news; Scott had a moment of panic.

"What is it?" he asked.

"_It seems this has been out local scientific doctor's special project. It's only programmed to work with the L-Green Operator."_

"Ziggy?" Scott laughed.

"_Well..."_ Dr. K said nervously, and everyone could hear it. _"I didn't grow up learning the normal was to express human emotions..."_

"It's cool, Doc," Ziggy laughed, gently pushing Scott out of the way as he stood in the lead of the group. "Who's the little man now?"

"Still you," Dillon chuckled, patting his best friend on the shoulder, "You just have a big job."

"_Downloading the Final Strike Cannon to you, Ziggy,"_ Dr. K called.

In Ziggy's hand appeared a rather large weapon. He found it to be very heavy, almost collapsing under its weight, were it not for the other Rangers quickly positioning themselves around the cannon.

"Whoa, this is a big cannon, doc," he laughed. "What do I do?"

"_Insert your engine cell in the slot. Information will instantly be downloaded into your Ranger suit and the steps will appear on your visor."_

Ziggy did as he was told, inserting the engine cell key into the slot. Just as Dr. K said, the information for the cannon was downloaded into the suit, and Ziggy's view suddenly filled up with letters and numbers.

"I can't read this!" he frowned. He looked down at the cannon, spotting a small trigger, "How about I just pull this button."

"_Wait!"_ Ronny's voice yelled, before Ziggy tried shooting the cannon, his way, _"It's the end of Venjix. You've got to say some last words before you kill him."_

"Mom... do we have to?"

"_All monsters need a speech to be taught a lesson."_

Ziggy nodded.

"Eat noodle arms, ya toaster freak!" he yelled, pulling the trigger.

Venjix stumbled as he got to his foot, and saw the rather large and very green beam of energy soar towards him.

"This isn't the end!" yelled before he was stuck with his end. His pieces were ripped from his body, littering the wastes with mechanical pieces.

The Rangers turned, facing the cameras that allowed the mentoring team in the lab to watch them and smiled, powering out of their uniforms and cheering.

Venjix had been destroyed.

"We did it!" Scott cheered, turning to his team. "I can't believe it, Venjix is gone!"

"We won!" Ziggy smiled, "Aha!"

"You won!" Dillon laughed, "You shot the blast that killed Venjix and saved the world."

Suddenly, the Rangers heard a cough in the distance. Summer's ears perked up. There were only two people who would be coughing: Tenaya or Hayden.

She looked over at her little cousin, and Hayden was still unconscious with Kaylee sobbing over her.

That meant...

"Tenaya!" Summer screamed, running to her friend's side and helping Tenaya sit upright. The Rangers joined, as Summer looked over her friend's body.

Tenaya's flesh had been ripped apart in many places, causing her to bleed heavily. Not only that, but her mechanicals parts were nearly destroyed. There was no way they were going to be of any use to her, proving to be fatal because Tenaya needed her machine parts to keep her biological system functioning.

"Let's get her inside the city, and fast," Dillon said, lifting Tenaya in his arms.

"Aye," Flynn nodded, "I think we're all going to need a doctor."

Dani agreed, pulling out her communicator, "Mom, is dad nearby?"

"_The twins have just gone to get him. He should be here by the time you guys get back."_

Dani nodded, "Let him know that both Tenaya and Hayden need to be his main focus."

"_Alright."_

Flynn and Mike walked over to Kaylee and looked down at Hayden. Kaylee shook her head.

"She's not healing."

The mother grabbed her hand-held computer and logged into Dr. K's files from the Lab. She looked at Hayden's energy levels.

"She's not dead," Mike frowned, a little surprised, and relieved about the results.

"She's not... but why isn't she..."

Kaylee finally began to feel the rain falling and looked up. Though the Rangers hadn't been battling in a high-radiation zone of the wastes, the water around these parts was still very polluted. This meant that the rain was filled with radiation.

She got to her feet quickly.

"Everyone, back into the dome!" she yelled, pointing to Corinth. She and the Rangers had been exposed to the poisonous radiation, and though she could heal, it seemed as if no one, not even Hayden, could. They were all in danger of being hurt.

Flynn grabbed his fiancée, refusing to leave her behind before running with the others back to the safety of the dome.

-----RPM-----

The war with machines was still far from over as T15 sat at the repairs station, working on the damages. She had been watching the battle from the screens and laughed.

"I always knew Venjix was pathetic anyways," she smirked. "He wasn't worth my time."

She finished up with her repairs and walked to the computer. The crane above the pit of monsters started to move, before pulling out a small attack bot. It was placed before her and she smirked.

"Time to get to work."

-----RPM-----

Kaylee had been treated for radiation, but just like she had predicted, her powers had protected her. Of course, that meant she wasn't allowed in with the Rangers as Doc cared for them.

"So... have we really won?" Samantha asked, finding nothing else to do to keep her worry and fear down. Yes, the world was safe from Venjix, but if the radiation decided to work against the Rangers, she was looking at losing her boyfriend, her cousins and her sister.

"We'll see," Kaylee sighed.

"I don't understand," Ronny frowned, "They're poisoned?"

"The rain had radiation," Kaylee said, "And so far, I know two cases of radiation poisoning that have hit this family."

"Elena and Karly," Ronny gasped.

"When Elena's body came in contact, it hurt her. The radiation worked against her biological system and took her sight from her. It 'destroyed' her. But with Karly, it worked with her, reversing the aging process and giving her the ability to talk."

"Based on those two events," Dr. K added, "We can safely assume the radiation can either destroy, or enhance the human systems."

The doors to the lab opened up as eight of the ten heroes stepped out. Mixed emotions could be read on their faces.

"We got the all clear," Mike explained, "Uncle Doc says we're not sick."

"Then what could it have done?" Ronny asked, coming over to her daughter and Greg and wrapping her arms around them.

"Well..." Ziggy said. He grabbed Dillon's arm and lifted the Black Ranger above his head. The mentoring team looked at him in shock.

"Noodle arms... you can't possibly lift that much weight!" Samantha gasped. "Dillon's one of the biggest guys here!"

"Unless..." Gem started, looking to his sister.

"They got superpowers!" Gemma cheered.

"So, the radiation is working with the eight of you," Kaylee said. "What else can you guys do? Scott?"

Scott grinned before suddenly changing shapes. Now, he no longer looked like Scott, but rather, Kaylee.

"EW! No, go back!" Kaylee winced, shutting her eyes until Scott was back to normal. "Yuck, I hate shape shifting."

Ronny chuckled before looking to Flynn.

"Apparently my brain can now understand every language. I've just got to know which one you're speaking."

"And how would you know this?" Ronny asked him. "We speak English."

"Every language," Flynn smirked, "When Doc was explaining my powers, he was using medical terms. Now, I may be a mechanic, but I'm no doctor. Yesterday those terms would have confused me. But today..."

"He was our translator," Summer said, getting to the point.

"What about you, Summer?" Dustin asked his niece. Summer shrugged.

"I don't know... I can scream louder I guess."

Samantha covered her ears, "The house is definitely going to know next time you might be pregnant then."

Dustin smacked his daughter on the arm, giving her a disappointed look. Summer and Dillon both turned red as they looked away.

"Dillon?" Gemma asked.

"I can kill the Brooks girls," he smirked, glaring at Samantha.

"What can you really do?"Gem asked.

Dillon snapped his fingers as a small flame appeared. Both twins' jaws dropped.

"We won't need matches for boom-time anymore!" they cheered.

Dr. K turned to Mike, "Judging by Summer's enhanced powers, I would be safe to assumer your water manipulations skills are more developed."

Mike nodded, but the glum look on his face never disappeared.

Kaylee looked over at Daniela and Greg, "How about you two?"

"Us two what?" they asked in sync. Kaylee jumped back, eyeing the gold and silver Rangers suspiciously.

Greg chuckled, "We've got a mental link," he said.

"I can read his mind and he can read mine," Dani continued.

"We're so the coolest couple!" they both cheered, high-fiving.

Ronny looked at Kaylee, "Because knowing what your partner really thinks of you is perfect in a relationship."

"Meh," Kaylee shrugged, "Dani already speaks her mind. She's got nothing to hide. And it's not like she can understand half of what Greg's saying, never mind thinking."

Dani huffed, glaring at her Aunt, "I can so understand... sometimes."

"What about Hayden and Tenaya?" Dr. K asked, knowing the question was going to be asked at some point.

This sent Mike over the top as he stormed off, throwing a chair out of his way and breaking it in two as it hit the wall. He couldn't believe he almost killed his cousin. It had been his job to protect her, but he should have known to wait. He wasn't dead, Flynn wasn't dead, and Dani was sure to return at some point. The Rangers still stood a chance.

And now she was suffering.

Samantha ran after her younger cousin after handing Engel to her father. She knew she would be missing out on the status updates for her sister and cousin, but she figured she would most likely get an explanation from Mike.

Summer turned to her Aunt and uncle. They were the two who would be most hit by the bad news. Hayden was their daughter, and Tenaya was Dustin's niece.

"They weren't so lucky with the radiation," she sighed, "With us; it was only a little bit that got into our bodies via our cuts. When we found Tenaya, her entire mid-section was torn open."

"That's why doc asked for your blood before you left," Ziggy told Kaylee. "He's hoping that it'll be strong enough to keep her alive until he can flush out the radiation from Hayden's blood."

"What?" Dustin asked.

"Start with Hayden," Scott told the others. He looked to his mentor and Dustin sympathetically, "When it rained on Hayden's injury, the radiation got into her system. She's still healing everywhere else... it's just.. not on her heart."

"She's not dying," Flynn sighed, "but... she's not healing like she should. Every other cut on her body is gone but that one! Doc's stabilized her and stopped the bleeding, but if her powers don't flush out the radiation soon, she might never fully heal."

Kaylee swayed slightly, feeling a little light-headed. Rebecca placed her hand on Kaylee's back, hoping it would help steady her.

"She's in pain," Flynn shook his head, trying to keep the tears away. "A lot of pain. Nothing's helping her right now."

"So, it's just her heart that's not healing?" Ronny asked, "Is it still beating?"

"Like I said," Scott nodded, "Everything's healing, but not the injury itself."

"The radiation poisoned that part of her body, keeping the tissue from regenerating and leaving the wound exposed. That's why she's not healing," Summer said.

"How how does this affect Dawn?" Dustin asked, "You said Doc had to wait for Hayden before working on Dawn..."

"With Tenaya, it's a little more complicated," Greg said. "She was part machine, and when her stomach section opened up, that's where the radiation hit her. Her biological parts are sick, and her hardware is shutting down. Doc's removed every piece of Venjix machine he could from her body, leaving only what's natural. Kaylee's blood is keeping her alive, but it's not strong enough to heal her."

"Only Hayden's blood can heal something that intense," Kaylee told her husband. "Tenaya was almost completely robotic. If Doc removed all those parts, she would pretty much just be a head, one arm and pieces of her torso."

"The pieces are all attached," Daniela assured her uncle, "So when she does heal, we should have a full human Tenaya..."

"Why... why Hayden's blood..."

"Tenaya's missing vital organs," Daniela explained. "The healing powers in Hayden's blood is strong enough to recreate those organs and tissues and muscles, and Tenaya should be back to normal within a few hours of receiving the blood."

"So donate it..."

"Hayden's blood is radioactive though," Dillon frowned, "That's why her heart injury's not healing. The blood's too poisoned to deal with it. Until the radiation is flushed out form her body, Hayden's heart injury won't heal, and her blood won't help Tenaya."

"But, Hayden's expected to live," Ziggy smiled, bringing a little good news to the mentoring team. "We just don't know how long it'll be before she's living normally."


	36. Betrayal in her Heart

After T15 finished working on her first solo attack-bot, she left it offline and made her was to the computer.

T15 wasn't Venjix' only henchwoman. Of course, there used to be Tenaya Seven, but even when she had betrayed Venjix, T15 wasn't the only one.

Venjix had been battle Corinth, as well as NewTech. That was why NewTech needed Rangers. Fighting against the other city was Morgana.

Now that Venjix was gone and T15 planned on taking over the world, she needed to know what else stood in her way, aside from Corinth.

Morgana had been the T15 for the SPD Rangers. She was a strong and powerful woman, and T15 was positive that if Morgana did survive, they would buttheads constantly.

"Let's see how the little Morgana is doing against those stupid police Rangers," she grinned. She downloaded the files on her co-henchwoman and smirked at the results.

Morgana had been defeated. This meant that T15 had the entire palace and all its tools to herself.

T15 couldn't believe it. Those pesky SPD Rangers had actually helped her. Now she wasn't going to have a less intelligent robot trying to help her dominate the world.

T15 was confidant her plans would work flawlessly, because there would be no outside impute that would alter her train of thoughts.

"Perfect," she grinned, turning to the offline attack-bot. "Now, what should I make you?"

T15 was sure the Rangers wouldn't be expecting an attack from her any time soon. When she had left they, she had barely been in a condition to move. Only mere hours later she was already plotting the end of humanity.

She had all the time she needed to make this bot work.

"Hey... time," T15 grinned, "Maybe I don't have to kill the Rangers in this time. If I attack them when they're old I weak, I can rule the world from there."

-----RPM-----

"What do you mean no one is allowed inside?" Dustin yelled as Doc positioned himself in between the former yellow Ranger and the door to the infirmary. Dustin had assumed that once Doc was okay to leave the girls alone, he would be able to visit his daughter and niece, but now he was being told otherwise and he was angry.

"Look, Dustin, you can't go in there. Hayden needs a lot of rest to recover, and believe me; you don't want to see what Tenaya looks like."

"We don't care," Sierra said in a low voice. She had arrived a few moments before Doc left the room, allowed to leave the bunker because of the condition of her daughter, "I want to know she's okay."

"She's not," Doc sighed, "That's why I can't let you in there."

"What about Hayden?" Dustin asked, "Can't we see her?"

"She needs rest," David persisted, "I'm sorry you two, but until someone wakes up, I'm not letting anyone in."

As if on cue, the doors swung open and Dustin felt someone force her way into his arms, as if trying to hide inside him. He looked down, spotting a blood-stained blonde head of hair.

He wrapped his arms around her daughter, stroking her hair with a hand as he looked over at his sister. Sierra placed her hand on her niece's back and whispered gently.

"Hayden, are you okay?"

Hayden shook her head slowly, the movement causing Dustin to realise that Hayden had been sobbing on his shirt, getting it soaking wet in the few seconds she'd been in his arms. He pushed her away, keeping a strong grip on her arms as he looked down at her face.

Hayden argued, forcing her way back into him and grabbing his shirt. She was too afraid to leave his side. He was the only one she could trust.

"Hayden, you're awake," Kaylee smiled, seeing her daughter in Dustin's arms. Dustin felt Hayden tense up in both fear and anger. The little blonde turned to her mother, keeping herself in her father's arms.

Kaylee backed away when she say Hayden's face. She expected her daughter to be angry, but Hayden was throwing daggers at her with only her eyes.

"I hate you!" she screamed.

"Hay..."

"Shut up!" Hayden yelled. The other Rangers could hear her screaming from their bedrooms and came out to see what was wrong. Even Mike, who had broken down in tears by the time Samantha caught up to him and dreaded seeing his little cousin, had walked out. Though he didn't want to know what she was going to say to him, he had to prepare himself for her hatred.

Hayden looked up at the team. She had no idea how many people were in on the plan to kill her, so she could only assume.

"I hate you all!" she screamed.

"Hayden... listen," Dustin started, squeezing her lovingly, "You don't under..."

"NO!" Hayden yelled, pulling away from him as soon as she understood that he was going to try and help the people who tried to kill her.

"Listen, Hayden..."

"I don't want to!" Hayden took a few steps back, wiping her tears. Kaylee tried moving in closer, knowing it was only going to make Hayden run.

Hayden did just that, she turn and ran. She didn't get far, however, before colliding with a new body. It quickly wrapped its arms around her, holding her tight, and holding her close.

"What the fuck?" Kira asked, motioning to her very upset niece.

"Kira? I could ask you the same question," Kaylee frowned, "Aren't you supposed to be in NewTech?"

"Cam told me Venjix was defeated. I came to... why is she crying?" Kira jumped right to the more important question as she pointed to Hayden.

"They kinda tried to kill her..." Samantha said, pointing to Kaylee, Mike and Flynn.

Kira shook her head, "I signed up to be with the wrong family. She can't die! Why would you try?"

"It was a plan..."

"I hate you!" Hayden screamed, pulling away from her Aunt and trying to take off. Kira grabbed Hayden's arm, keeping her from going far.

"You stay," she told her niece.

"NO!" Hayden yelled, breaking loose and taking off, running to the border between Corinth and NewTech.

Summer sighed, dropping her head on the railing.

"She's pulling a Sam."

"A... I didn't..." Samantha frowned, looking to her cousin.

"No, your name, my body," Summer explained.

"Oh... um... wait I don't know this story," Samantha frowned, turning to everyone downstairs. "Is this when other Sammy ran to Uncle Hunter's house?"

"Yep," Kira nodded.

"Oh..." Samantha looked to her mother, cousin and future brother in-law, "She's pissed."

"You think," Flynn frowned.

Kaylee sunk down to her knees. She had screwed up. As guilty as they were going to feel, Flynn and Mike had nothing to feel badly for. Kaylee was the one who made the call, and she made it too early. She knew Daniela was still alive, and she knew Daniela well enough to know that the Silver Ranger was going to come back. That meant that there were still four Rangers against Venjix. Odds weren't good, but they never were.

Kira sighed, looking at the RPM family. She didn't know the story behind this, but she knew she needed to help.

"Look, I'll talk to Hayden, okay?" Kira smiled, kneeling in front of Kaylee and placing her hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"You can't," Dustin sighed. He saw the look of panic on Hayden's face. She was afraid, not of dying, but of trust. The three people in her life she should have been able to trust completely: her mother, her protective cousin, and her fiancé/boyfriend, just turned on her and plotted on taking her life. Though it had been to protect her, Hayden wasn't aware of that fact yet. She understood it to a degree, but Dustin could see how Hayden must have witnessed the plan going down, and it wasn't pretty. "She can't trust."

"Trust who?" Kira asked, "She knows I won't ever hurt her... much... sometimes..."

"She thought the same thing of us," Dusting sighed, "And as far as she knows, we're all in on this plan."

"Hello, NewTech!" Kira frowned, waving her hands, "I'm still confused about the baby mentioned when I called for Hayden's birthday! How would I know about a plan to kill the unkillable?"

"Just, follow her," Sierra said, "Hayden'll run to whoever she can trust. I think all you can do is make sure she doesn't get hurt."

"And keep a close eye on her heart," Doc added as Kira turned to leave, "It's not healing."

Kira stopped in her tracks and turned back to her Corinth family slowly, "I'm not leaving you guys alone again. Every time something weird happens: babies, unconscious men and mentors... and Ziggy."

"Hey!" Ziggy pouted.

Kira smirked at the L-Green Ranger before finally getting on her way.

Flynn sighed, looking down at his hands. He hadn't done anything in the plan aside from distract Venjix, but he still felt horrible. His job was to protect Hayden from this, not cause it.

-----RPM-----

_Security breach, level one._

"Who the hell could be attacking us now?" Z yelled, following the other Rangers as they charged through the SPD command center to find the infiltrator. "I thought we defeated evil."

"I guess not fu-OUF!" Samantha was quickly cut off when something ran right into her, slamming into her chest and knocking the wind out of her. She looked down, finding a mass of blood-stained blond hair atop of a small figure currently hugging her and possibly squeezing the life out of her.

"Um, Sammy, you got a Hayden on your shirt," Heather laughed.

"A... Hayden?" Samantha asked, pulling away from her younger cousin, looking down at the very upset little cousin. "What are you doing here?"

"No time to talk, we've got an infiltrator to find!" Ryan shouted. Samantha rolled her eyes.

Even Hayden paused and turned to join into the multiple stares directed at the Bradley boy. Ryan realised his mistake and chuckled nervously, sinking back inside the crowd of Rangers.

"Oops... my bad."

"You're an idiot," Sammy sighed.

"Hey, it's not his fault he's inherited more blonde than dirty," Benjamin smirked, "Of course, I wouldn't really know."

Heather gasped, turning to Ben and slapping his chest, "What have I told you before?"

"Shut up?" he asked her sweetly.

"And Aunt Kira thought my team had issues," Hayden managed to laugh through her tears.

"Hayden, what are you doing here?" Samantha asked, wrapping her arm around her cousin as she walked back to the main room so they could all sit and talk. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"Behind my back," Hayden growled, "With a knife."

"She's dark," Drew smirked, "I might like her."

"Shut up and eat your pudding!" Hayden snapped. She already knew about Drew's reputation from Summer, and she wasn't about to put up with it for a moment. Drew frowned, looking around.

"I don't have pudding."

"Go get some," Hayden growled.

The Rangers made it to the main room and Samantha let Hayden take a seat on the couch. Heather sat beside her with a worries look.

"What are you talking about?" she asked her cousin, "Behind you with a knife."

"Mike killed me!" Hayden yelled, "In the Venjix battle... he took out my mother's dagger and he stabbed me!"

"He wouldn't!" Samantha gasped. Hayden raised her eyebrows and pulled her shirt down slightly to show the blonde the wound.

"Shouldn't you heal?" Heather asked.

Hayden looked down, curious for a moment, before looking back up.

"I should... a long time ago..." Hayden exchanged looks with the SPD team. Only a select few of them knew of her healing powers. The rest were confused.

"Apparently your team is more messed up then ours," Bridge frowned, "Mike killed you, and you're here telling us about it?"

"Hayden's got spontaneous regeneration," Ryan explained for those who were lost. "Like, spontaneous, spontaneous."

"How did all this happen?" Kira's voice came as the leader of NewTech city arrived in the main room and sat next to her niece, wrapping her arm around the scared girl.

"We were losing..." Hayden breathed, "I... I heard mom tell Flynn and Mike that they knew what to do."

"So the bitch planned it?" Drew asked.

Samantha glared at the bitter young man, making her way over to him and his chair. She lifted it up, tipping it over and dumping him on the floor.

Samantha wiped the imaginary dust off her hands and looked at her cousin, "Go on."

"That's just it," Hayden sighed, "I don't know anything else! After mom said that, Flynn told Mike he couldn't do it. He went off and fought Venjix. That's when Mike pulled out mom's dagger and he... you know."

"Stabbed you?" Ben asked, causing both Heather and Z to nudge him.

"So... he actually stabbed you?" Ryan asked, a little surprised Mike would do something so... hurtful to his own cousin.

"Look, Hayden... I know it seems a little... intense... but your mother was only trying to protect you..." Kira started, but Hayden stuck her hands over her ears to drown her Aunt out. Samantha smirked, grabbing Hayden's hands and pulling them away.

"Want to talk about family betrayal?" she asked. "I think that's why you came here."

"I just wanted to get away," Hayden whispered, "I can't trust any of them..."

"Hayden..." Kira smiled, holding her niece close, "You family loves you, never forget that. Your mother is just... a little overprotective."

"Overprotective? She planned an attack!" Hayden growled, pulling away from her Aunt, "If she were overprotective she wouldn't have sent me out to the battle in the first place and I would we wrapped in bubbles!"

"Hay, go home," Kira smirked, "At least try and figure out their intentions."

"I don't want to see any of them," Hayden snapped.

"If it helps, I don't think many people knew," Kira said, "And even if they did, you should know your team and your family well enough. The only reason they would try something like this is to keep you from pain."

Hayden frowned as she began to poke her heart, over and over again, wincing every time her finger hit the wound.

"Yeah, there's no pain here."

Kira took Hayden's hands while motioning to the entire SPD team.

"Hayden, do you trust us?"

"Some more than others," Hayden nodded, "I trust you, I trust Sammy, I trust Heather and Ryan and Bridge and Z a little. But I don't know too much of Drew and Ben to call what I feel for them trust..."

"Feeling's mutual," Drew smirked.

"Pudding!" Hayden snapped.

"Then trust us when we all say, go home," Kira smiled.

"No."

"Hayden," Kira finally pulled Hayden into a hug, squeezing the young blonde tight, "As your Godmother, my job is to protect you and be your mom when your mom can't, right?"

"Whatever," Hayden sighed, rolling her eyes, "I guess."

"And you know I would never ask you to do anything that would hurt you. Not in a million years. I think Kaylee's plan was stupid and needed to be thought out a little more. Never would I have anyone kill you."

"I like you best. Mom can keep Summer and I'll live with you."

"I like that plan," Samantha chuckled.

Kira smiled at her daughter before looking back at Hayden, "At least go home. If anything happens that you don't like, or don't understand, you can call me and I'll be there in three seconds to smack some sense into your mother, cousins and boyfriends and everyone else who hurts you. Deal?"

"Promise?" Hayden asked, "I'm scared."

"I know, kiddo," Kira nodded, "It's hard to trust once you've been stabbed in the back."

"Even harder when it hits you in the heart," Hayden breathed, "I was so scared... Mike was actually ready to kill and my mom... she told him to do it... and Flynn didn't stop it... but he said he couldn't... he... and Mike actually stabbed me... I... I trusted him and he..."

"I know," Kira nodded, "But I can't do anything to help you. You've got to go home."

Hayden got up from the couch, wiping her tears. She wasn't ready to talk with anyone in Corinth, but her Aunt was right, she did have to go back home.

As Hayden left, Ben turned to Heather, "I think I like SPD."

"Why do you say that?" Heather asked him. Ben pointed to the doors closing behind Hayden.

"RPM's like a soap opera!" he frowned, "I'm sure this isn't their first problem."

"We've had problems," Z reminded the boy.

"Yeah, he's sitting in that chair," Samantha grinned, pointing to Drew.

"I didn't say anything!" Drew yelled in defence. Samantha rolled her eyes.

"You breathe!"

Drew frowned as he stopped breathing. He looked to Samantha with a knowing smirk.

"Hold that position, now," Ryan chuckled, "Until you turn blue, then a little longer."

"Guys," Kira sighed.

"C'mon, please!" Samantha begged, "We defeated evil! We don't need him anymore."

"No," Kira shook her head, "As much as I want to, I don't feel like doing paperwork tonight! And I'm probably already going to have to kill someone."

"Aunt Kaylee?"

"Tori really screwed her over when she dropped her."

Drew let go of his breathe and looked over at his team, "You know, I was sitting right here?"

"We know," Ryan nodded.

"C'mon, guys," Bridge smirked, tapping Z's leg as he got up, "It's starting to get late. We should get to bed if we want to help the city with clean-up tomorrow."

"Do we gotta?" the team whined. Bridge nodded.

"Yeah... going to bed is a little boring and uneventful. I would rather..."

"Oh no, no ranting today, I've heard enough strange things to last the rest of my life!" Kira groaned, "Goodnight, sleep tight and please, everyone, shut up."

The commander of SPD hopped up on her feet before lazily walking out. She was hoping to get some sleep tonight and that Hayden wasn't going to call. She loved that little Pink Ranger to death, and hated when she saw the princess in tears. Had she not known Kaylee as well as she did, she would have been ready to assume the worst had happened and would have killed the entire RPM team, excluding her own daughter of course, in less than a minute for causing Hayden's tears.

She just hoped everything was going to work out in Corinth.


	37. A New Era Part I

After all the drama with Hayden, Scott decided to pull Samantha away. She was going to be a little worried about her sister, but if Scott knew anything about Kira and the Seven Sisters, he knew that there was no way Hayden would be hurt.

He grabbed Samantha's arm, gently taking her to the landing, away from the others as they gathered downstairs to form their own plans.

"Hey," he smiled. Samantha looked over at the Garage doors once, before turning back to him with a huge smile. She unclipped Marcus' medal from her shirt and presented it to him.

"I knew you would come back," she said, kissing him quickly. Scott accepted the medal, putting it safely in his pocket as he looked at her.

"I'm glad you did," he chuckled, "because there was a time when I thought I wasn't going to."

"You were down for quite a while," Samantha nodded; remember seeing him lay motionless on the ground for a rather long time, "I have to admit, I was pretty scared."

"I thought you knew I would be okay?" he teased her, poking her sides playfully, keeping a comforting smirk on his face as he did.

"I knew you would come back," Samantha confirmed, "I just didn't know..."

"... In how many pieces?" Scott finished for her. Samantha nodded, but her smile fell. Her eyes averted to the corner of the medical room door, where her cousin was lying as pretty much just a head, a torso and one arm. Scott saw this look and sighed, "I'm sorry... wrong term..."

"It's okay," Samantha smiled, changing her attitude, not wanting Scott to feel guilt over what he said. She knew he didn't mean it, but she was deeply worried about Tenaya, or Dawn, or whatever her name was, and his comment only reminded her of the peril she was in. "Either way, dead or alive, I'll see her. I'm an Angel, remember?"

"I've never forgotten," Scott smirked. He took a deep breath as he held her hand in his, "You know, Sammy, the medal isn't the reason I woke up."

"You had to win," Samantha nodded, "Save the world. I'm sure Marcus understands."

"I'm sure he would too," Scott chuckled, "But... that's not the reason either."

Scott smiled at Samantha, looking into her blue eyes, "Sammy, all I could think about while I was on the ground, was you. And the thought of never seeing you again scared the hell out of me. I kept fighting for that reason. I knew I needed to defeat Venjix so I could come here and be with you, just as we are now."

Samantha grinned happily, wrapping her arms around his neck. He followed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he said.

"You're the amazing one," she replied, "You defeated Venjix. Name one other person who's..."

"Well, Ziggy was..."

"I mean... not the... shut up," Samantha frowned, pulling away slightly. Scott shook his head, pulling her back in, refusing to let her go.

"I'm sorry," he laughed, "What I meant was, you're the most amazing person I've ever met and ever will meet. I don't think I could ever live without you."

"Are you... Scott you're..." Samantha couldn't voice her thoughts, too caught up in the excitement to think straight.

"Sammy, I don't have a ring yet, but I promise, as soon as I do, and as soon as I get that medal I promised you, you're going to wear them both..." Scott paused, looking down at the Angel in his arms, "Will you?"

Samantha grinned, leaning up and kissing him passionately. As she pulled away, she bit her lower lip, twisting her smile into a playful smirk.

"Maybe," she laughed, "I have to think about it."

Scott chuckled, holding her even closer, "I love you."

"I love you too," Samantha nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. She pulled away suddenly and looked over at him.

"You forgot something," she said.

"I know, getting down on the knee... but I kinda don't wanna let..."

"No... Flynn asked my father before he proposed. It's only right you ask my parent."

"But... um... which are you talking about?" he asked, knowing there could be three answers to this question.

Samantha didn't say anything as she quietly pulled Scott into the nursery. He smiled as he was taken right up to the crib and looked down at baby Engel.

She wasn't as tiny as she was when she was first found in Samantha's arms. She was getting close to the eleventh month, and soon she would become much more of a burden as she took her first few steps.

Samantha leaned over the crib, stroking her daughter's hair as the little girl woke up. Engel smiled at her mother and Scott.

"Hey," Samantha cooed, "Engel, Scott's got a question for you, and I would really like it if you said yes."

"You want me to ask a baby if I can propose to you?" Scott frowned, "I know your family is full of weirdoes... but..."

"She's got my mother's spirit," Samantha said, "I'll never forget that. If Engel can accept you into her life, then I can mine. And not just because she's my mother reborn, but because she's my daughter; she's going to be my responsibility for the rest of my life. I'm not about to commit to anyone, if they can't commit to Engel... and if she doesn't like them."

Scott nodded, understanding Samantha's position completely. He gently grabbed Engel out of her crib, cradling her carefully in his arms.

"This is the weirdest sentence that I will ever have to say, but," he sighed, "Baby Engel is it okay for me to take your mother/daughter's hand in marriage? I love her with all my heart, and I'm ready to give my life to her... and take all her baggage. That includes you and psychotic relatives."

Engel cooed, clapping her hands together before reaching up and grabbing a handful of Scott's cool hair. Samantha laughed, freeing her fiancé from the child's grip. She took Engel from him and smiled.

"I say yes as well," she nodded.

-----RPM-----

Downstairs, on the couches, Dillon and Summer were sitting quietly, pondering the pregnancy scare, but too afraid to really speak up. Summer finally mustered up the courage and turned to the black Ranger.

"What would you have done?" she asked him. He looked over to her, but didn't say a word. She continued, "If I was pregnant, Dillon... what would you have done?"

"To be honest," Dillon sighed, coming over closer to her, "I don't know. I've still barely found myself, and I would have had to deal with a fragile little baby... it's scary."

"So... I guess it all worked out for the best," Summer nodded, "I don't think I would be ready to be a mom... I mean, Sammy's great and all, but she's got a little more motivation for it then I would."

"I... I don't know," Dillon sighed. "I know it would have been scary and confusing and... you know... but... I... I'm kinda... disappointed."

"Dis-disappointed?" Summer croaked, pulling away from Dillon. He sighed, understanding her worries.

"Summer... I know we're not ready and it was going to be hard... but now that I had to imagine myself with a baby... and you... it's stuck."

"Dillon... it's just that... it's a baby... I can't..."

"I'm not asking for one," Dillon chuckled, letting Summer know there was no pressure, "It's just..."

"It's strange, coming from you," Summer said, "You're Dillon... you're brooding... you want a baby?"

"I guess... one day," he shrugged, "I mean, I've never pictured myself as a father. And I'm glad it didn't happen now, but... I can't help but feel disappointed that there was nothing there."

Summer nodded. She could understand his position. After all, it was exciting being a parent. She had been looking forward to it. But when she learned there was no baby, she felt a huge weight lift off from her shoulders and found herself thankful she still had her life to herself.

"Maybe... sometime..." Summer sighed, trying to stay away from awkward, "it'll happen. But for now, let's enjoy simple."

As those words left Summer's mouth, both she and Dillon saw Ziggy and Dr. K, walking out of the garage, awkwardly holding hands. Ziggy was also carrying a camera and an umbrella. Dillon looked at this in total shock and watched as Ziggy tried to move his arm and wrap it around Dr. K's shoulders.

Just as the L-Green Ranger and the doctor left, Hayden walked back into the base. She caught sight of the odd couple and her jaw dropped for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered her anger and her jaw clamped shut. She turned away from them and walked right past Summer and Dillon, barely acknowledging their presence.

"Simple..." Dillon asked her, "You call this... simple?"

"I use it loosely," Summer laughed.

-----RPM-----

Daniela was sitting on top of her car once again, just like before the final battle. Greg found her and tapped on the hood.

"Hey," he grinned.

"Hi," Dani nodded. Greg walked a little closer to her so he was standing beside the left door. He leaned against it, resting his arms on the top of the car as he looked up at her.

"Why did you come back?" he asked her bluntly. He had to know why she didn't listen to him and leave. Things worked out in the end because she did, but she could have gotten hurt, or worse, if things didn't work out. He couldn't risk that, and that was the reason he sent her away.

Dani turned away from him. As much as she could understand why he had shot at her, it still hurt her to know he pulled the gun out on her. She still loved him, and that wouldn't stand in the way of the relationship, but Greg should have trusted her and he should have known better than to take her life in his hands, without her permission. Much like with Hayden, Dani wanted to know that when it came to her life, she wanted control over it. She didn't want someone making big decisions for her.

Greg sighed when she turned away and reached for her hand, "I'm sorry, babe."

"I get it," Dani nodded, "I really do... but... it's my life."

"I love you, Dan," Greg whispered, "I love you so much... I can't stand to see you hurting... I couldn't let that happen."

"But maybe... it would have been for the best," Dani breathed. She slid down the car, landing on her feet. She turned to Greg and wrapped her arms around him but keeping her eyes lock on his. "I don't want to live a life where I have no friends... no family... and where I have to run. I would much rather die... with you."

"I know... I guess, while thinking it through... I didn't," he sighed.

"No... you just looked at it one way," Dani said, "You just saw what you didn't want to see. You didn't want to see me getting hurt, and the only way that was possible was if we were apart. But you have this grudge against Venjix because you helped Becca create it. He was your monster to fight, and you didn't want me fighting your battles. The only option you saw was for me to run."

"It was stupid..."

"Kinda," Dani nodded, "For someone of your intelligence level. I mean, if I did it, I probably would have gotten bonus points for a thought process."

Greg laughed, squeezing her lovingly.

"You're smart, Dani. Just not in the way the schools test it."

"That's what I told my dad," Dani sighed, "He still got me a tutor."

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did," Greg apologized, looking down at his girlfriend.

"Don't be," Dani whispered, kissing him, "It was still sweet. And it makes me feel safe knowing I have someone to protect me."

Greg smiled, "You know I always will."

"As long as you know that I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself," Daniela smirked, "I may be youngest, but you're not that far off, mister. It's only... a month?"

"About that," Greg nodded, "And I know... but you're still mine and no matter how much you whine or complain, I'll always make the mistake of protecting you."

"Sounds fair," Dani laughed.

There was a small silence. Both gold and silver were happy as they were, in each other's arms. But Greg was still confused why she would come back. She had obviously been hurt by his actions. Being shot at by someone you loved and trusted wasn't something that was easy to cope with, no matter their intentions. She had been gone for a while, but not long enough for the pain to ease itself.

"Why?" he breathed suddenly. "Why come back?"

"I love you," Dani whispered, "And no matter how hard you try to protect me, I'll always fight beside you. Until the end. We're a team, that's what we do."

"Did you seriously get bad grades in school," Greg chuckled, "Because right now, I think you're the smart one."

"Math, science and all those other subjects confused me," Dani frowned. "How was I to know pi wasn't a dessert?"

"I love you, Dani," Greg laughed, "Don't ever change."

-----RPM-----

Up in his room, Mike was the only person who had locked himself away in his room. He was unable to cope with the fact that he stabbed his cousin and tried to kill her.

It was for good intentions, and he never would have done it had he known she would have been safe, but the look on her face as the dagger pierced her heart and the screams...

_Mike brought the dagger down, with the rain, striking Hayden in the heart. He made sure the dagger dug in deep enough before pulling it out and quickly sticking his hands inside. Hayden screamed and tried to pull away but the pain from the dagger and from her family's betrayal hurt too much to allow her to move._

_Mike ripped the wound open, allowing Hayden to bleed. He turned away from her as he did this. He couldn't look at her._

_Hayden grabbed his wrists, trying to pull his hands out, but she was so desperate and upset that she couldn't muster the strength to do it._

_As the rain fell on everyone's body, Mike felt the pain of the radiation enter in his cuts and scratches. He could only imagine how much more painful this made the whole experience for Hayden. The radiation was burning at his surface wounds, and here he was, keeping a deep wound pried open, allowing the acid rain to fall into it._

_Hayden screamed once more, begging her cousin to stop. Suddenly, she fell limp._

He shivered as that scene played over in his head. It wouldn't stop. And every time it played, Mike felt worse about what he had done.

He looked over at his end table and opened the drawer. He reached inside, finding a picture of him, Samantha Jr. Summer and Hayden. He looked at it for a moment before scrunching it up. He screamed, throwing it across the room before grabbing his pillow and hugging it close to his chest.

Everyone was wrong. He was no hero. He could never save anyone without them getting hurt in the process. Whatever he tried always seem to backfire to the point where the girls would be safe, but they would have still gotten hurt.

When Samantha was dating Maximillon and Mike found out the boy just wanted to get in her pants, he tried to protect her. But the way he went about it still hurt her to this day when she thought about it. He had forced the boy to break her heart and she watched as he did this.

He tried to protect Hayden as well by keeping her from a life of torture if Venjix won, but the plan failed and Hayden was alive, but scarred, both physically and mentally.

Summer was probably the only person he had yet to truly fail, but she had gotten hurt from things he could have protected her from. He knew the pregnancy scare was enough to hurt her, especially if, when they talked, Dillon would react poorly. Mike knew it was his job as her older male cousin, and unofficial big brother, to keep her from making mistakes like that, but it happened.

Maybe he was stretching it, or looking for something bad, but he still felt awful. All this time, he thought he was a hero. He thought that when it came to the girls, as long as his heart was in the right place, he could do no wrong. He was mistaken.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door as Gem and Gemma walked in.

"Hey, what are you doing...?"

"... all alone up here?" they asked him.

"Leave me alone," he frowned.

Gemma turned to her brother before flipping the light switch, filling the room with light. Mike winced as his eyes adjusted. He hadn't even noticed that he was sitting in the dark.

Gem spotted the tears in his eyes as soon as the light was on and sighed, "Are you okay? Do you need to talk about it...?"

"No," Mike frowned, "Leave me alone."

"Okay... but everyone is downstairs and they all seem so..."

"Happy," Gemma finished for her brother, not in the usual twin speak. It was odd that they weren't so synchronized, but Mike had already figure out that when things got serious, so did the twins.

"They didn't just murder their cousin," he frowned.

"No... but neither did you... right?" Gemma asked.

"Unless you have another cousin we don't know about," Gem added.

"If it weren't for her healing factor, she would be dead!" Mike screamed.

"Yeah... but if she didn't have that factor... you wouldn't have had to kill her."

"What?"

Gemma nodded, agreeing with her brother's statement, while Mike remained confused.

"If Hayden didn't heal," she began to explain, "You wouldn't have been asked to kill her, right? It was because she could heal that you had to make sure she didn't suffer... so if she couldn't heal, you wouldn't have tried to kill her... so really, either way... Hayden wouldn't be dead..."

Mike thought about it. They did make sense. The reason he stabbed Hayden was because she could heal, so logically, if she couldn't heal, he wouldn't have killed her.

"It doesn't matter... I'm not a hero... that much is clear."

"But... you save people," Gem frowned, "Is that what heroes do?"

"No..." Mike sighed, "They... they keep them from harm."

"Oh..." Gem breathed, acting as if he got the answer wrong. "I should have known that...stupid Gem..."

Mike shook his head, "No Gem... it was a good... answer... it's just... when a hero acts... he manages to save lives, and keep people from harm."

"And you don't do that?" Gemma asked, "Do you hurt people intentionally?"

"No... but..."

"So then why are you hurting yourself?" Gemma frowned, "You can't wallow in self pity for the things you can't control... that's just stupid."

"It's... complicated," Mike sighed.

"No it's not," both twins smirked, "it's easy. You didn't mean to hurt Hayden. You wanted to protect her. Fate just made it so that she got hurt in the process."

"They always get hurt," Mike growled, "Every time I try... Sam... Summer... Hayden... even my own sister!"

"But... they are alive, right? Isn't that the point?" Gemma asked, "When you save a life, then your job was to keep the person from death. As long as your actions were noble, and the person you saved does continue to live... you should be happy."

"It's... it just... it's not... life doesn't work that way."

"I know, that if you were with us in the wastes," Gem smirked, "then you would be a hero. Gemma and I would have been lucky to have someone out there to save us. We could have used it sometimes."

"You would have gotten hurt."

"We were hurt," Gem said, "There was no avoiding that."

"Whenever you save someone, there's a chance they get hurt. Sometimes, whether they are saved or not, they might still get hurt. It's how it turns out in the end that matters. Would you rather Hayden had gotten hurt because no one tried to save her from a painful life with machines, or would you rather she be hurt by you, then live happily in the spirit world forever and ever?"

"It's not my choice to make!" Mike frowned, "And it doesn't matter what I want, it should be what Hayden wants."

"What do you think she would have wanted?" Gem asked.

"Not to be hurt."

"And now, later down the road. She won't be," Gemma assured him. "But, if the battle had gone differently, no matter what, Hayden would have still been hurt."

"It's just..."

"You are a hero, Mike," the twins smiled. Gemma continued, "You're just... a confused hero. You didn't act selfishly, because I'm sure you didn't want to kill Hayden, and you didn't want her to die. There were flaws in your plan, but your heart, and Kaylee's heart and Flynn's heart... they were all in the right place. Next time, before you kill your cousin, ask her if that's what she wants before you stab her."

Mike chuckled, "Can do..."

"Oh and Mike... Hayden's not the only one hurting because of this," Gem reminded him, pointing to the D-Green Ranger. "If you still need time, we can leave you alone."

Mike wiped his tears, "I know... and... if you two don't mind... do you want to play a game with me... up here. Maybe I shouldn't be alone? You can help take my mind off..."

"I've got a twister board!" Gem grinned, seemingly pulling the game out from nowhere.

"I've got the spinner!" Gemma called.

"I've got the weirdest support group," Mike chuckled.

-----RPM-----

Ronny was humming along, happy the world was finally safe from Venjix, before she spotted Sierra, sitting alone on the couch, staring at the door to the medical room. The former Ranger sighed before going over to the other woman.

"She'll be fine," she assured Sierra, sitting next to her.

"I can't help but be scared..." Sierra sighed, "What if Hayden doesn't heal fast enough? Or..."

"Ten- Dawn's a trooper," Ronny smiled, "She's tough as nails. Nothing's going to keep her down for long."

"I don't know how you do this," Sierra breathed, "When I was in the bunker, all I could think about was Dawn. Was she okay? Was she still alive? But you... your daughter's out there as well, and you still manage to stay cool and help the Rangers win."

"It wasn't easy," Ronny nodded, "And if it weren't for the monitors allowing me to keep an eye on my baby girl, I would have lost it. Between you and me, I think you had the harder job."

"I just got her back," Sierra sighed, "It's hard losing someone you love the first time... I don't know how I'll deal if I've got to live that over again."

"Maybe... if you can say goodbye this time," Ronny smirked. "I mean, I'm positive everything's going to work... but saying goodbye might help... in case... for the first time, I bet wrong."

David walked by the two women at this moment and Ronny caught his attention.

"David, can Sierra and I go in?" she asked her husband.

"Ronny, no... I can't..."

"She's got to say goodbye," Ronny interrupted before David could finish. "I know it's not pretty, and I know it could hurt her... but... I think she needs it."

"Okay," David sighed. He walked to the door and opened it, while Ronny took Sierra's hand and led her inside. Before Doc pulled the cover off Dawn (which had been ruffled slightly, probably from when Hayden woke up), he turned to Sierra.

"I warn you... your daughter doesn't look at all like herself," he said, "I can pull just her hand out for you if you don't want to see this..."

"I've... I've got..."

Ronny smiled, "Whatever you want, you know we're here for you."

"I want to see her," Sierra nodded, "I don't want to live my life wondering what happened."

Doc breathed in deeply before pulling down the blanket, just enough for Sierra to see her daughter's remains, but not enough to make her throw up.

Sierra looked down at her baby girl, strapped to so many monitors to keep her alive until Hayden was ready to help. Though her heart was still beating, there was no brain activity. Dawn was dead. The only reason she was still... alive, was because she was being kept alive, artificially.

Ronny was a little surprise Sierra hadn't broken down in tears yet, but she figured Sierra was too upset to cry. She placed her hand on the older woman's shoulder.

"I bet you she'll be okay," she smiled, "I never... ever... lose my bets."

"She doesn't," David assured the horrified mother, "And I'm doing everything I can. Your daughter will be fine. I promise."

"She looks so..."

"You've got something to look at," David smiled, "Thankfully Venjix didn't turn her completely robotic. There's still hope for her. You've got to make sure that hope stays alive."

Sierra nodded, taking her daughter's hand and leaning over to kiss her forehead, "I'll be right here when you wake up," she whispered, "I won't leave you side."

David turned to Ronny with a worried look, but the driver smiled.

"I won't leave her," she whispered, "Don't worry."

-----RPM-----

Hayden walked out of the lab, still untrusting of her team. Since her return, she had yet to speak to anyone.

While in the lab, however, she had gotten a phone call from an interviewer asking if she could take part in an interview as a celebration for the end of Venjix. Hayden agreed, hoping this would be the break she needed before diving right back into this world of confusion and drama.

She had set up the interview and promised the woman on the other end that she would be there. Being Kaylee's daughter, and a Power Ranger, meant Hayden was pretty much the city's little princess. It was only natural she would be the one asked to represent the team of Rangers and officially announce, on air for everyone to hear, the start of a new era.

Hayden stuffed her phone back in her pocket before running into Flynn. He caught her before she fell back and smiled sadly.

"Hayden, there's something I want to..."

"I don't want to hear it," Hayden frowned as he hand unconsciously moved to the ring necklace.

"I'm sorry," Flynn whispered, "I shouldn't have let this plan happen."

Hayden lowered her head. She wasn't ready for this. Even a talk with Flynn, who didn't... could to anything in the battle, was too much for her to handle. She wanted to forgive him for considering the plan, but it still hurt he had been plotting to end her life.

"It was stupid..." Flynn continued, "I was stupid... I shouldn't have let your mother talk me into this... but... I was so worried you were going to get hurt by Venjix... I didn't want to die and leave you alone on this earth forever, without anyone to care for you. I don't know what that monster would have done to you, and I was pretty sure you weren't going to be happy..."

"I know that much, Flynn," Hayden snapped, "But how do you think I feel? My mother, my fiancé... boyfriend... whatever, and my cousin all had a plan to kill me! And they didn't tell me! One minute I'm fighting with you... the next you're running away as mom tells Mike to stab her dagger into my heart and let me bleed! It hurts!"

Hayden began crying as she said this and Flynn tried to pull her into his arms. She pulled away, though, refusing to let him touch her.

"Hayden... on paper, the plan was okay. Sure you would have died, but you would have been happy. That's all I want... I don't want to see you like this. As soon as we got the order to go through with it, I realised there was no way I could ever hurt you. That's why I turned away. I'm so sorry, Hayden... I love you so much, I wasn't thinking straight. The only words running through my head for the past few days were: _save Hayden, make sure she stays happy, keep her from harm and protect her_. I... I'm..."

Flynn started to break down too, "It was so stupid... I didn't mean to hurt you like this... I just... I wanted you to be safe... but..."

Hayden finally looked up at the man she loved and saw him crying. Flynn tried to force a smile for her, but it couldn't come out.

"Hayden... I love you."

"I love you too," Hayden whispered, "It's just... you thought about it..."

"It hurt to think about it," Flynn answered, "I knew what I was going to do... but it just... whenever this plan ran through my mind, it hurt to know I was going to hurt you. So I focused on what could come out of it that would work in your favour, because if I focused on the bad, then I wouldn't be able to save you. But as soon as Kaylee utter those words, and I was told to kill you... those terrible thoughts came back. I realised that I never wanted to kill you, Hayden. I just wanted you to be safe. I'm so sorry, and I know it's going to take forever for you to forgive me... but... please... I can't see you hurting."

Hayden threw herself into his arms and Flynn quickly grabbed hold of her, wrapping his arms around her tight and lovingly.

"Flynn... it's strange," Hayden spoke, "I love you... but I'm so angry... when I think about leaving... I get scared... but staying here and remembering what you, mom and Mike did... it hurts. I don't know what to do, and I don't know who to trust."

"You can trust me, Hayden," Flynn whispered, "I won't ever hurt you like that again. I promise."

"But... I can't just... trust... it's... hard."

"I'll wait," Flynn smiled, "I'll wait forever, just, please don't leave me."

Kaylee was watching this from just outside her bedroom on the second floor.

"You know... you love her too much," Dustin said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I..."

"Kaylee, you plan was good, but... she's your daughter," Dustin smiled. "She trusts you to protect her, and you broke that."

"I tried," Kaylee sighed.

"Did it work?"

Kaylee shook her head as if fell, "She hates me."

"She can never hate you," Dustin assured her, "She's scared. She was attacked and for the first time ever she felt the fear of death take hold."

"Deathcode..."

"Hayden wasn't afraid then," Dustin smirked, "She knew she had a job to do, and she knew death came with it... she chose to die."

"No... she..."

"She told Summer to let her die if it meant saving Project Ranger, and she came back here while she was still sick, knowing it was risky. The reason she's so scared and hurt is because this time, that choice was taken out of her hands, and she had no idea what was going to happen."

Kaylee nodded slowly as the tears began to form.

"Kayl... your heart is gold," Dustin smiled, "But you went about this all wrong. Hayden is our baby, our child... but she should be allowed to make her own choices now. You can't play God with her life and take it as you please."

"I would never..."

"You did," Dustin frowned, "Kaylee... I love you... we all do, but... Hayden's not a toy. She's a human. As much as you may want, you can't control her fate. That choice should be hers to make."

"I'm sorry," Kaylee whispered, letting the tears fall.

"I don't need an apology," Dustin smirked, "Hayden does. Ask for her forgiveness, but don't expect it. And wait until she's ready."

With that, Dustin kissed Kaylee on the cheek and turned into his room, leaving the blonde mother alone with her thoughts.

Kaylee looked back down as Flynn and Hayden stood, wrapped in each other's arms. Her eyes fell on her daughter and she lost it. She fell to her knees on the floor, turning her back to lean against the railing. She curled up in a ball, with her knees pressed against her chest and she sobbed.


	38. A New Era Part II

T15 stared at her creation with a knowing smirk.

"You're almost done," she spoke to the offline machine. "You just need a little obedience training. Last thing I need around this place is another me."

T15 moved over to the main frame computer, programming a small chip that would allow her to control her attack bot's every movement with simple yet effective commands. She made sure to save her work carefully, as not to lose it, just in case she failed.

After watching Venjix struggle every time he lost, T15 learned she always needed to expect a loss and plan for it. Right now she was going to use this attack bot to win the battle against the Rangers, but, if that failed, she had a plan B and C.

Plan B, go forward in time and defeat the Rangers when they were old and weak. Sure that meant she wouldn't take over the world in this time, but as long as she was alive to rule, she would be happy.

Plan C, learn from this mistake and make an attack bot that was even stronger and could match the skills of the Rangers, and not just their strength.

-----RPM-----

Lazily, Hayden rolled off the couch, falling straight down onto the floor and landing on her stomach. To keep herself from hitting her face on the ground, Hayden put her fists out in front of her.

All this was planned, except for the momentum that her chest still had, making it collide with her fist and her wound over her heart was hit.

"Ow," Hayden whined, remembering she had been poisoned by the radiation.

"Are you okay?" Ronny and Sierra both asked, helping the younger girl off the floor. Hayden nodded, nervously as she looked at her aunts. She knew Sierra hadn't been in on the plan to kill her, but she didn't know about Ronny.

"I'm fine," Hayden whispered, "I just forgot I'm not working right."

Sierra lowered her head, "It's still not healed?"

"No," Hayden sighed, "And it hurts."

"Has it healed since you woke up?" Sierra asked. "If it has, at least you're on your way... and maybe you can help your cousin...?"

Hayden nodded, "I guess you'll need my blood to fix... whatever she is," she sighed.

"Your mother's blood doesn't contain the same concentration of regeneration that yours does," Ronny explained, "Dawn's going to need a lot of pure blood from you if she wants to live again."

"Are you sure it's going to work?" Hayden asked, "Before I walked out... I saw the blanket. When I pulled it off..."

"No wonder you freaked out," Ronny chuckled, wrapping her arms around the little girl. "If one of my cousins had just been ordered by my mother to kill me, and when I woke up I found a... thing lying next to me, I would panic too!"

"That thing is my daughter," Sierra reminded Ronny with a frustrated stare. Ronny turned away, chuckling nervously.

"Just, be sure to rest up, kid," she told Hayden, "I bet my money of Dawn's survival, and I don't lose."

Hayden nodded, understanding. Ronny and Sierra smiled at the girl before walking away to get some much needed rest. After staying up all night, waiting for Dawn, Ronny finally got Sierra to consider going to bed, assuring the worried mother that Dawn would still be there, waiting for her, when she woke up, and that it could only get better.

Up on the second floor, Kaylee began to stir, waking up to the outside of her bedroom door. Frowning, she looked around to see if she could remember why she was sleeping in such an uncomfortable spot, until her eyes fell upon Hayden on the ground floor.

The forty year old got to her feet and sighed, "It's not or never."

Slowly, she made her way downstairs, finding Hayden in the kitchen getting herself a glass of milk. She walked over to her baby girl and tapped her on the shoulder.

Hayden wasn't expecting someone else to be up already, and jumped as her mother touched her, causing the glass of milk to fly out of her hand and spill on the floor. Thankfully, Kaylee was smart enough to buy only plastic glasses, knowing a houseful of teenagers and... Well, her family would scream accident.

The milk, however, was not spill proof. Hayden groaned loudly as she went to get a rag. Kaylee rolled her eyes playfully, using her water powers to lift the milk off the floor. It was a little harder than it would have been, had Hayden stuck with the good old H2O, but Kaylee was a professional by now, and got the job done as the milk made its way over to the sink.

Hayden held the rag in her hand and looked over at her mother with a dull look.

"What do you want?" she asked.

Kaylee sighed, "Hayden, I am so far away from winning mother of the year award."

"Sadly, this city's so blind to your success, they don't know all the times you've tried to kill me, or ignored me, or both!" Hayden retorted, rolling her eyes as she turned away to leave.

"Hay... I just wanted to protect you," Kaylee whispered, "I don't want to see you hurt... I've feared this since Venjix took over, and I thought it was going to come true. I needed to help you with an escape plan because we don't know what would have happened to you if Venjix won."

Hayden turned away, "It's my life."

"You're my baby... it's my job to do anything I can to make sure you're okay."

"Does this look like okay?" Hayden screamed, pulling down her shirt slightly so her mother could see the wound Mike created with her dagger. "Now, because of this and your stupid plan, I'm not healing right, and Tenaya's probably going to die!"

"Hayden... I didn't..."

"This was a stupid plan!" Hayden yelled, "Your worst idea ever! Didn't you even consider letting me know you had asked my boyfriend and my cousin to kill me! This family's weird enough, walking by me in the hallways and telling me, _I've asked Mike and Flynn to kill you if things get bad. I hope that's okay_, would pass as normal!"

Kaylee started to cry. She had heard this speech over and over again, but now it was her daughter yelling at her, telling her she was wrong and scolding her on her mothering skills.

The worst part was... she was right.

"Hayden... I'm really, really sorry," Kaylee sobbed, "I... I have no excuse to cover this up. It's just... you mean the world to me, Hayden, and there is nothing I wouldn't do to make sure you were safe! I let that get in my way and I thought, maybe if I didn't tell you, everything would be okay?"

"So what, you just wanted me to die thinking my cousin turned on me and my mother ordered him to do so?" Hayden snapped.

Kaylee stepped back, feeling so small. She wished she could go back in time and tell herself that her plan was stupid, tell herself that she was about to make a big mistake.

"God mom, I think this leadership thing has gone to your head!" Hayden yelled, "Before Corinth happened, when you were just your everyday former Power Ranger now a mother mom, you were so awesome! Now, you're just... you're not... I don't know you anymore."

"Hayden..."

"I want my old mom back," Hayden bit, turning away from her mother, "I want the mom who cared about protecting me, not just herself."

Kaylee watched her daughter walk off. Never in her life had she been so insulted and felt as degraded as she did now. But Hayden was right on the money. Kaylee had set up that plan to protect Hayden from her suffering fate, but the biggest reason she had done it was to keep herself from worrying.

She leaned against the counter, looking at the plastic cup still lying on the ground, wondering if there was any way to fix this.

Hayden made her way to the couch and fell down, hugging the pillow to her chest, keeping an eye on her mother. As much as she hated Kaylee, she still needed her mother to come to her side and comfort her, tell her she was sorry and that everything would be okay. Hayden figured that if Kaylee did that, then somewhere, she was still the mother Hayden once knew and loved dearly.

But Kaylee didn't move. The older blonde was too afraid that if she tried something more, Hayden would just get angry. She thought that if she tried to touch her daughter, and comfort her and let her know she loved her, she would just push Hayden farther away.

She couldn't keep her mouth from going, though. With a sad look, she turned to her daughter, "I still love you, Hayden... I just... I don't know what to do anymore. It's not easy running this city... keeping everyone safe... but you... you've always been my first priority. I'm just... I'm sorry I can't always show it."

Kaylee slowly walked into the lab to leave her daughter alone. Hayden watched her go before she too began to cry. She knew her mother did love her and words were just words. She wanted her mother to show it. She wanted Kaylee to run over to the couch, grab her in her arms and hold her tight. She wanted to be able to pull away, but have Kaylee refuse to let go, no matter how much she protested.

She wanted the mother she had when she was a kid. The one she thought was a hero.

-----RPM-----

Rebecca and Ziggy were sitting in the lab when Kaylee walked in. Their date had gone well, and they were going to try to make things official... just between the two of them.

Kaylee spotted them and smiled slightly, happy there was still something good in the world.

Rebecca got up from her seat and turned to the older woman, noting the tears streaming down her face.

"Kaylee?"

"Leave me alone!" Kaylee yelled, locking herself in Dr. K's room.

Ziggy turned to his _girlfriend_, "Is she allowed in there?" he asked, "Am I allowed in there?"

"No one is allowed in there," she frowned, "But... I think, this time, I'll bend my own rules."

"For Kaylee?" Ziggy whined.

"Would you rather she come back out here and make things even more awkward then they already are?" Rebecca frowned.

"You think this is awkward?"

"Very awkward," Rebecca nodded. Ziggy shrugged.

"At least you feel something," he chuckled, "I guess awkward is better than... repulsive... of feeling... MOOT!"

Dr. K rolled her eyes, shaking her head from side to side.

"That is the last time I bring up an odd, yet uncommonly used word," she said, "It makes all you Rangers go..."

Ziggy braced himself for a new word as Dr. K stalled.

"Never mind," she breathed.

Ziggy's shoulders dropped as he glared at Dr. K.

"C'mon... say it," he smirked, poking her in the stomach. She looked down at his finger and growled.

"Ziggy, don't..."

"Say something cool!" Ziggy giggled, "Like... wacko, or insane or..."

Dr. K shook her head, bearing a knowing smirk. Ziggy took this as a challenge to force a word out of her and began tickling her sides.

"C'mon, Becky, you're a freaking dictionary. You've got to say something cool!"

-----RPM-----

Mike finally decided it was time to confront his cousin and made his way downstairs. He found Hayden, buried under a blanket on the couch. Gently, he poked the spot where her forehead was.

"Are you dead?"

Hayden threw the blankets off her face and glared up at her cousin. She exposed her wound and growled.

"Wanna try again? You kinda failed the first time."

"About that, Hayden," Mike sighed, lifting Hayden's feet up so he could sit on the couch. He let her rest her legs on him as he looked over to her, only now realising she had him pinned down.

"Hayden," he started, "How many times do I have to say sorry before you..."

"Save your breath," Hayden frowned, "What you did was so... it was... do you know what it was like. One minute Venjix is trying to kill us, the next; you turn on me and pull you a dagger. I tell you not to, but you go right ahead and stab me!"

"I didn't want..."

"I don't want that bullshit!" Hayden screamed, "I've been hearing it ever since I woke up. Your intentions were good; it was just a stupid plan! If you guys knew that, then why the hell did you go ahead and do it?"

"We... hoped it wouldn't happen?" Mike suggested, "Look Hayden, I'm so sorry!"

"So am I," Hayden growled, "Because of you, I don't know if I can trust you or my mother! You guys were one of the only few people in my life who I could trust with anything! Now... now I'm left with a little trust... very little, in my dad, my sister and Summer. Do you know how that feels?"

"Bad?" Mike tried.

"Terrible? Horrible? Any other synonym for painful and hurtful?"

"What do you want me to do, Hayden?" Mike asked, "I'll do it, anything, just please don't push me away."

"Leave me alone," Hayden growled, "And never talk to me again."

Mike sighed and got up, defeated as he walked away. Over on her car, Dani had been watching the entire time. She couldn't help but feel for Hayden, but she also felt terrible for Mike and Kaylee. They were trying to let Hayden know they loved her, but they weren't succeeding like Flynn had.

She slid down the windshield and off the hood as she walked over to the couch, poking her older cousin's arm.

"That's a little harsh," she told Hayden, looking down at the girl.

"I don't care," Hayden growled.

"C'mon, Hay. You know everyone here loves you. Why are you trying to push them away?"

"Have you ever been stabbed in the back?" Hayden asked, "it hurts when someone you trust turns against you."

"They didn't turn against you," Dani sighed, "Hay... they wanted to protect you. They were scared, and when people get scared, they tend not to think things through. As soon as they see a way out, they run for it. Just like Aunt Kaylee and Mike and Flynn had done, and just like you're doing now. Do you really think the best way out of this is to push everyone away and be a complete bitch to anyone trying to help? No. But you do it anyways because you're too scared to maybe look for another longer, harder road."

Dani left her cousin, hoping her words would stick in Hayden's head and make her think.


	39. Flashforward Part I

After Dani left Hayden the day before, Hayden had been left to ponder what exactly her younger cousin had said. She knew the red head was right, and she that it was wrong to push away the people who loved and cared for her the most, but she couldn't handle hearing the same thing over again. Whether it was true or not, the same excuse of _"We were trying to protect you by stabbing you and letting you bleed to death in a slow and painful way"_ didn't exactly help Hayden sort through her trust issues.

Hayden decided that she had insulted and put down her mother and cousin enough, but she was still far from forgiving them and letting them talk, no matter what her Aunt Kira had told her.

Just as Hayden was about to join the others for some morning TV, the familiar sound of the alarm rang through the building. Everyone looked up, stunned that it would be going off after the defeat of Venjix.

"I thought we killed him," Greg frowned, "Who the hell is attacking this city now?"

Ronny thought it over in her head. They had defeated Shifter and Venjix, and Kilobyte and Crunch had been destroyed by Venjix and T15 to make new upgrades for...

T15.

"This is so not good," Ronny said, tossing the car keys to their respective owners, "Guys, T15 hasn't been defeated yet! She managed to run, remember."

"Curse that robotic bitch and her ability to not die when I want her to," Dani growled.

Hayden was standing by the stairs as the alarms sounded, watching as her team went off to battle and wondering why Ronny was ordering everyone around. Shouldn't it have been her mother, or at least her father?

"Aunt Ronny..." Hayden started, approaching the former Overdrive.

"Not now, Hayden, I'll explain later. You need to get out there..."

"But... I'm hurt..." Hayden looked down at her chest, where the wound over her heart was still pretty big. Ronny sighed deeply. Hayden was right about being hurt. And as long as the wound was still open, like it was, it was a danger for Hayden.

"Okay. You're going to sit out," Ronny ordered, "But I'm putting you on standby just in case something goes wrong."

"Why are you leading?" Hayden asked. Ronny turned to the pink Ranger slowly, wearing a sad expression on her face.

"Last night I noticed your mother was nowhere in sight. I went looking for her and Becca told me she was in her room. When I went in to check up on her, your mother was in no state to do anything. I told her she should go on leave."

"Who's running the city?" Hayden asked, "The Colonel..."

"Now that Venjix is gone NewTech and Corinth can work together again," Ronny explained, "So Kira's going to be running NewTech and Corinth until your mother is back on her feet."

"And so... why are you leader?" Hayden asked.

"I'm representing," Ronny smirked, "Now, let's watch this battle."

-----RPM-----

T15 stepped up onto the battlefield as her attack-bot followed suit, obeying its master's every command through mental orders. T15 smirked as eight Rangers appeared on the battlefield.

"Well, last time I saw you guys, there were ten. Did Venjix make my life easier?" she teased, bringing the bot forward.

"We're not down yet," Scott yelled, "No one is!"

"Yeah, go throw yourself down a hole!" Daniela added. Dillon turned his head to her and sighed.

"Dani... really."

"It would make this easier," Daniela shrugged.

"Anyways," T15 growled, "Meet my new Time-Bot. My first ever solo monster, who's programmed to do exactly what I want him to do."

"Haven't they all been doing that?" Ziggy asked, "That's not really something new. You tell the bots to attack us... and they do it!"

T15 frowned before pointing her finger at the Rangers and ordering her monster to attack. He jumped into to battle, swinging his clock shaped hands at the Rangers.

T15 decided she would help out as well. No use in letting the bot have all the fun. She just needed to decide which Ranger she would take out, seeing as her little Tenaya was nowhere in sight.

Scott pulled out his street sabre, and the others followed with their own person weapons, landing an attack on the time-bot. T15 growled, mentally ordering the bot to do as it was programmed to do.

The bot got to its feet and lifted its left hand in the air. The little fingers on the clock started moving, just like the regular clocks, but suddenly, they began slowing down.

"I've done this before!" Dani grinned, charging at the bot, reaching the speed she needed to keep time from slowing her down, like it was doing to the others. The time-bot failed to foresee this and was hit by her cloud hatchet. He was thrown through the air, landing on his back before T15 as time was reset.

"Don't mess with a speedster," Dani grinned, wiping the dust off her hands, "I can do this all day if I have to! I'm a bouncing ball of energy!"

"_Ranger Silver, your suit's energy has dropped to 75%,"_ Dr. K announced over the communicator.

"I can do it until the monster's dead at least," Daniela shrugged, "Let's try again!"

"Dani, be careful," Mike sighed.

T15 frowned. She knew the Silver Ranger was the little hyper one of the group, and whether she was morpher or not, she could run at the speed necessary to hit her bot every time he slowed down time. Maybe now was a good time for T15 to leave.

"Time-Bot, initiate plan B," T15 smirked, grabbing the monster's shoulder. The Rangers had no idea what plan B was, but they were aware it was going to be related to time, and Dani was the only one who could travel through it if she ran at the speed necessary.

"Daniela, go!" Scott ordered the young Ranger as Dani hopped in place. Suddenly, she disappeared inside a silver streak as it sped towards the monster.

The monster's hand went up in the air again, and the fingers began spinning quickly. Dani eyed them carefully, watching the monster closely.

Suddenly, her friends ran right past her, pulling out their weapons to attack the monster. Daniela stopped in her tracks, keeping her speed going as she watched the battle. It was happening at regular speed. That was impossible... unless.

Dani looked back at the fingers and noticed they were turning forward quickly. Time wasn't slowing down. It was speeding up.

The Time bot threw the Rangers away, and Dani watched as her friends were caught in an explosion. Time continued to speed up as she watched the Rangers quickly fall back.

Daniela watched as time kept going, and the people flooded the city again, walking so quickly, Daniela could barely see them. She looked back at the hand of the monster and saw it suddenly stop, throwing her across the field where she hit her head on an old building and blacked out.

-----RPM-----

Back at the Garage, the Rangers were getting back from the battle, wondering what had just happened. The attack bot had been really fast, knocking them off their feet long before they had much of a chance to land a blow on him.

"Guys?" the twins asked, seeing the Rangers walk into the lab. They did a quick head count and saw one was missing.

"Where's Dani?" Gem frowned, making sure he didn't miss the little red head.

Greg looked around, panicked. He knew he had left the fight without her, but because she had been running so fast, there was no way to warn her. He figured that when his girlfriend saw the Rangers run off, she would return to base and beat them there. That didn't seem to be the case.

Ronny turned to Dr. K, who was just getting up from her computer, "Scan for her."

Dr. K nodded, taking her seat once more. Ziggy walked to her side to see if he could help her out.

"I'm getting nothing," Dr. K frowned. "I've scanned every inch of the city for her life signature."

Ronny stood in shock, hearing this. Summer ran right past her Aunt to get a look at the results for herself. Her heart stopped when she saw nothing.

"What about the morpher?" Ziggy asked, "Can't you use her morpher to see if she's still alive. Maybe the computer's just not picking up on her signal because it's too weak."

"I've already done that," Dr. K sighed, turning up the volume so everyone could hear the long, flat beeping.

"That's not what I think it is... is it?" Ronny asked.

"She can't be dead," Greg frowned, coming over to the computers, "I... I didn't feel our link break."

"Your link?' Hayden asked, staring at the gold Ranger. "What link?"

"While the radiation hurt you and Tenaya, it helped the other Rangers," Dr. K explained to Hayden, remembering she had been out cold and in the hospital bed when the powers first surfaced. "Gregory and Daniela were blessed with a telepathic link, allowing them to read other's thoughts and understand their partner's deepest emotions."

"And I didn't feel anything," Greg growled, "Daniela's not dead."

"How do you know?" Summer asked, placing her hand on his, "You've never had a link with someone. How do you know you feel when it dies... what if it just... does?"

"No... I would feel it! She's still here..."

"Try to find her," Ronny asked hopefully, "Maybe the system's not working right..."

"My systems are working just fine," Dr. K snapped, "it's your daughter that's untraceable."

Ziggy put his hand on Rebecca's shoulder, squeezing it to let her know this wasn't the time. She had come a long way from being the cold hearted mentor, but she was still far from being sympathetic.

Greg shut his eyes, mentally calling out to Dani. His voice echoed in his head and he waited to hear something from her.

Suddenly, his voice grew louder in the empty space and Greg was shot back into the wall. He held his head in his hand as Summer and Ronny ran over to him, helping him back to his feet.

"What happened?" Scott asked.

"It was empty," Greg frowned, rubbing his forehead as a headache started.

"That's a switch," Dillon smirked, "A genius with nothing between his ears."

Greg glared, "I meant in our... I don't know what to call it... but it's the section of our brain that developed along with our powers. It acts together with Dani's, allowing us to mentally trade information such as thoughts or feelings with the other person. Normally, when I spoke to Dani through it, I would hear her reply in my head. But this time, because it was empty... my echo just rang, louder and louder until it blew me across the room."

"That's some powerful echo," Hayden frowned, "So where's Dani?"

"I don't know..." Greg sighed, "I didn't hear back from her. My voice just hit a wall."

"Which would create the echo," Scott breathed. He turned to Ronny sadly, "I'm sorry."

"NO!" Greg yelled, clenching his fist as he marched over to the Red Ranger. He looked up at the older boy with hate, "Just because I can't find her, doesn't mean she's dead! I didn't feel the link break!"

"Many Ninja communicate through telepathy," Mike stated. "My mother, Uncle Dustin and Uncle Shane can do so. And over the years, some Ninja have studied how that telepathic link works. They found out many things... but they also found out that sometimes, your partner can die without you knowing it."

"But this isn't Ninja voodoo," Greg growled, "It's a genetic mutation caused by radiation!"

"Aye, but maybe the lad's right," Flynn frowned, "Something could have happened to Dani, and maybe she was too far out of reach... or maybe she's not dead... yet."

"Daniela's not dead," Greg breathed, "I don't care if you guys believe me or not! I'm going out to find her."

Greg left the lab in haste, not wanting to waste any time. He was positive Daniela wasn't dead, and he was going to prove it.

As the doors shut, Ronny nodded her head to Rebecca, telling her to keep an eye on his signal.

Summer walked over to the speedster Aunt and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Do you believe him?" she asked her.

"I don't know," Ronny sighed, "But I hope he's right."

"We all do," Ziggy nodded.

Mike turned to Hayden, knowing the blonde was probably going through hell. Daniela was her best friend outside of the furious foursome group. He wanted to comfort her, but Hayden pulled away.

"I'm going to bed," she told everyone.

"Hayden... can we talk?" he asked before she left. Hayden stopped and sighed. She had decided not to insult Mike or her mother anymore, or throw hurtful comments at them, but she still wasn't ready to face them.

"No," she said simply before stepping out the doors.


	40. Flashforward Part II

Daniela woke up, finding herself staring at a city filled with people. A little offended no one was coming to help her she got to her feet and dusted herself off.

She looked around at her surroundings, noticing she wasn't in Corinth anymore. Well, it was still Corinth City, but everything had changed drastically. Buildings that Dani recognised were getting really old and worn out, and some were even being repaired. There were also new buildings standing tall.

Suddenly, a large black car, used for funerals, drove by slowly and turned down the street leading to the cemetery. Other cars were following it as Military officers arrived to close the roads. One officer spotted Daniela and came over to her.

"Excuse me, miss, but this road is closed. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said.

"Why is it closed?" Dani asked him, "Who was in that car?"

"You don't know?" the officer frowned, "Have you been living under a rock? Kaylee Brooks is dead."

"What?" Dani gasped, "When?"

"A couple of days ago," the officer frowned, "She was found dead in her hospital bed."

"Hospital... a couple of... no... I saw her leaving the Garage this morning! She was perfectly fine... well, she was crying because of what Hayden did..."

"What did Hayden do?" the Officer asked, "We have reason to believe this death was no accident. If you have any information."

"Hayden wouldn't kill her mother," Dani frowned, pulling away from the officer before he could grab her. Nothing was making sense to her.

"Miss, it is possible that Hayden McAllistair is responsible for the death of her..."

"Whoa... pause," Dani frowned, "Hayden McAllistair? When the hell did she change her name?"

The officer sighed, running his hand through his hair, "Just after her wedding."

"Hayden got married? Why wasn't I invited?"

"It was a small ceremony, miss. Only friends and family were allowed. No one else was allowed near the old Garage for the entire night."

"When was this?" Dani asked.

"Let's see..." the officer's eyes rolled up as he thought back. "I started work in 2035, on the two year anniversary... so, 2033."

"2033?" Daniela frowned, "Are you psychic? Is this some kind of practical joke? Ha-ha, Ziggy, good one."

"Ziggy? Why would he prank you?" the officer asked, "He's too upset about the death of Kaylee Brooks to pull a prank on... who are you?"

"Daniela," Dani answered, "Daniela Marks."

The officer gasped, recognizing that name from a few years back.

"Dani Marks? The one who died?" he asked.

Dani poked herself, "I'm dead? Since when?"

"You died in 2027," the officer frowned, "On the same day T15 and her Time-Bot disappeared forever."

Dani groaned, "I've got to stop asking these _since when_ questions. Um, hello, dude, we're in 2027!"

"Miss, it's 2050," the officer frowned, "You've been dead for 23 years."

"It's not 2050," Dani laughed, waving the officer off.

The officer looked at the young teenager, shaking his head, "I think I know what happened to you," he said, "You're from the past."

"I'm from the now."

"What year is it?" the officer smirked.

"I told you, 2027. God, when did Aunt Kaylee start letting idiots protect the city?"

The officer gave Dani a knowing look. Dani turned to him, "Don't answer that."

The officer held up his watch, displaying both the time and the date.

November 1st, 2050.

"Dude, your watch is broken," Dani frowned, tapping on the glass. "It's set on future mode."

"Daniela Marks, you're in the year 2050," the officer said, "Something must have happened to you when you were fighting the Time-Bot."

"Well then, buddy; if that's true, then I'm pretty sure T15 and her Time-Bot would be somewhere in the city as well."

The officer's eyes widened as he quickly turned and ran to the others who were blocking the streets. He told his fellow officer something, and the other man quickly put a communicator to his mouth. Dani rolled her eyes and laughed before making her way down the street, hoping to find someone she would know. She decided to follow the car making its way to the cemetery. Maybe her Aunt would be there delivering a speech for the deceased.

She walked up to the gates of the old cemetery and looked inside. The area had already been locked up by the time Dani arrived, so she couldn't get in. The burial was happening too far away for Dani to make out any faces, so she decided to wait it out. Crashing the burial would be too disrespectful.

Dani failed to notice a little girl, hugging a doll close to her chest, until a figure walked over to the gates.

"Addie," the woman called to the little girl, making Dani notice her, "C'mon sweetie. You don't want to be alone."

The little girl turned away from the woman and spotted Dani looking down at her.

"I don't want to go," she whispered to the stranger, "I'm going to cry again and Luci is going to laugh at me again."

Dani knelt down, reaching her hand through the gate to touch the young child's shoulder. She couldn't have been much older than eight, maybe nine.

"Who is Luci?" she asked.

"My cousin," Addie replied, "She's older than me, and mommy says she likes to tease the people she loves, just like her mommy and Aunt."

"Are you crying because of the funeral?" Daniela asked. Little Addie nodded.

"My grandma died," she answered, "Mommy didn't want to come, but daddy told her it was for the best because I had to say goodbye."

The conversation was interrupted as the woman came over. She had a look on her face, telling Dani to back away from the upset child.

"Addie, c'mon," she whispered gently, taking the girl's hand, "Do you want to say goodbye to Grandma?"

"No...," Addie frowned, "I'm too sad."

"Grandma wouldn't want you to be sad," the woman smiled, "But I think she would want to hear her little girl say a few words. You can do it in private if you want."

"I want to stay here," Addie said, "I can say goodbye from here. Right lady?"

Addie and the woman both turned to Dani, giving different looks. Addie's look seemed to be a little hopeful, while the woman was shooting daggers.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, pulling Addie behind her slightly, "No one is supposed to be allowed here."

Daniela thought it best to introduce herself. She pulled out her ID and her ranger badge to show the woman, "Daniela Marks, RPM Silver."

The woman's face fell and Daniela could have sworn actual daggers were going to appear.

"That's not funny," she growled, "Aunt Dani died a long time ago."

"Stop saying that," Dani frowned, "I'm obviously still... wait... Aunt?"

"How did you get her badge and ID anyways?" the woman frowned, reaching through the bars and ripping away the two items from Dani, "They were never discovered. Soldiers searched the city for days."

Dani wasn't paying attention, "You said Aunt? Why am I an Aunt? I am an Aunt, but my niece doesn't talk yet. She just pulls hair."

Addie looked up at the woman, "You used to do that, remember," she laughed, "Mommy tells me that you used to pull her hair all the time."

The woman pushed Addie behind her, covering her completely.

"Kid, I don't know what the hell you're trying to pull, but it's not funny."

"I'm not pulling anything!" Dani frowned, "I'm Daniela Marks! I'm not dead, but I guess I was passed out for a long time."

"Alright, fine, Dani. Go away," the woman bit. Dani opened her mouth, but decided against talking. These people were obviously very upset over the loss of the grandmother, and she wasn't going to hurt them anymore.

The woman watched Daniela go before looking down at the ID card in her hand. She looked at the old picture of her Aunt Dani and sighed.

Addie ripped the card out of the woman's hand and laughed, "Engel, Aunt Dani looked a lot like that nice lady."

"Addie, what did I tell you about...?" Engel stopped, looking back at the card, then at Dani's retreating figure. "Stay here, brat."

Engel ran to the lock on the gates, quickly opening them and darting off after the teenager.

"Dani kid, wait up!" she called, catching up to the teen and grabbing her arm, "You... you really are Dani?"

"I wouldn't lie about myself," Dani nodded, "I'm a pretty cool person."

"I can't believe it," Engel smirked, wrapping her arms around Dani and pulling her into a hug, "It's really you."

"Yay," Dani cheered awkwardly, "It is me! Whoo... but um... who are you?"

"Evangeline Brooks, but you would know me better as Engel."

Dani's jaw dropped as she started at the older woman.

"That... was one long blackout."

-----RPM-----

Engel decided to wait until after the funeral to reunite Dani with her family. In that time, though, she did fill Daniela in on what happened. She told Daniela that in the time she was gone, Corinth and NewTech grew into one larger city, and Kira was working on expanding that one city in hopes to one day reclaim the entire world.

She also told Dani that everyone had moved on and started their own families. She told Dani all the couples (nothing surprised Dani there. It was all the same from when she left), and their children. Dani was surprised to find out that little Addie was actually Hayden and Flynn's youngest child of three and their only girl. Lucy was Summer and Dillon's daughter.

She also informed Dani of Kaylee's death, and the Silver Ranger had been hurt deeply to know that her Aunt Kaylee was dead.

However, Engel left out how broken up the family had become, knowing Dani would be able to find that out for herself once she met them.

The party was to be held in the Old Garage. Everyone was present, from Kelly and Tori, all the way down to the little babies. Engel did tell Dani that whoever she didn't see who was supposed to be at Kaylee's funeral had passed away. This included Sensei Watanabe, Andrew Hartford, Tommy Oliver, Leanne Watanabe, David Marks (Dani started to tear when she heard her father had died in an ambulance accident) and Fran Hargan.

Engel managed to sneak Daniela into the party and took her over to the buffet table, knowing the younger girl must have been starving if she had been out cold for 23 years. Daniela reached for a hot-dog and noticed Engel wince.

"I take it you don't like them," Daniela chuckled, remembering the old Engel despised hot-dogs with a passion.

"My mom says I get it from an old spirit," Engel laughed. Dani shook her head and smiled.

"It's nice seeing you again, Engel."

Engel nodded, but her happy expression dropped, "Look, Dani, when I introduce you, you're going to get a bunch of different reactions, especially from your nephews."

"Why?" Dani asked.

"I wasn't quite a year old when this happened, so this is all second-hand information, but apparently, when you died, everything changed."

"Like what?"

"Aunt Hayden, Grandma and Uncle Mike were in some kind of big fight... they don't talk about it to any of us kids... apparently, when you died, everything just, escalated. The others were way too upset about your death to try and talk to Aunt Hayden. Aunt Summer moved back to Newtech because she couldn't stand all the drama and no one else really though it right to step in and try to mend a family they weren't really a part of. Aunt Hayden never forgave Uncle Mike or Grandma, and the family drifted apart completely. They never spoke again."

"When I was talking to Addie... she said the only reason Hayden was at the funeral was because Flynn convinced Hayden to let her say goodbye."

Engel nodded, "Honestly, Aunt Dani, words can't begin to describe how messed up everything's become."

"You call me Aunt Dani?" Daniela frowned, "Why? You don't know me as your Aunt."

"I don't know... I guess it's just cause everyone always talks about you, I do feel like I know you."

Dani nodded and sighed, "So... my family's broken up?"

"Don't get me wrong," Engel said, "It's not because of you that this all happened. It's just... your death, or rather, disappearance, was so poorly timed that everything was just... dead. Like I said before, Summer ran off, and no one else wanted to meddle with family affairs."

"Summer's not the only person who was family... what about Sam? Wait... what happened to Tenaya?"

"Aunt Dawn's okay," Engel said, "Aunt Hayden healed and saved her, but Dawn had no idea what was going on, and it didn't feel right to her to meddle with the other side of the family."

"And Sammy?"

"Which one?" Engel asked.

"Your mom... why didn't she help?"

"She tried," Engel sighed, "But she was right in the middle. Aunt Hayden's sister, Grandma's daughter and Uncle Mike's cousin. Whenever mom wanted to talk to Aunt Hayden, Aunt Hayden would feel like she was being overwhelmed because it was three against one. And whenever she tried to talk to grandma or Uncle Mike... well it won't help much telling them Aunt Hayden hates them."

Dani frowned, "Remind me not to die."

"It's too late for that," Engel breathed, "The only thing I guess you could do is go back in time and use the knowledge you have now, to keep this future from happening."

"How do I get back?"

"We'll deal with that later. If you really want to keep this future from coming true, you're going to have to know what happened. Before you go back, I guess you should talk to your family... just, don't bond with the kids."

"Why not?" Dani frowned.

"Because, they were born to this future. Who's to say that if you change it, Addie, Lucy, Jonathan, Jason, Alexander, Suzy, Sara or any of my cousins will be here."

Dani looked over at the crowd, spotting little Addie holding Hayden's hand and her doll.

"If I change the past and make life better for my cousins... you'll never see yours?" she asked. Engel shook her head.

"It's for the best anyways," Engel sighed, "None of the kids are really all that happy, especially Addie, Jason, Alex and Suzy."

"Addie and..."

"Jason and Alex are Addie's older brothers," Engel explained, pointing to two teenage boys, sitting with Flynn. "And Suzy is Uncle Mike's only child."

Dani looked over, spotting Suzy looking over at her Aunt Hayden and her cousin Addie. She smiled sadly, wondering how Hayden could hold a grudge for so long, especially when it would mess up her family.

Addie spotted Dani through the crowd and waved to her, hopping off the couch and running to the teenager. She jumped in Dani's arms, hugging her Aunt.

"Yay, you came!" she smiled.

"Hey, kiddo," Dani laughed, "Glad to see a smile on your face."

"You're going to save my family," Addie whispered, "Aunt Sammy always says that when one spirit dies, another one comes to take its place."

Engel laughed, patting the young girl on the shoulder.

"Addie, sweetie, that doesn't mean she'll save our family," Engel said.

Addie smiled, "Grandma was someone awesome. So if she dies, and this lady takes her place, then this lady is her replacing spirit, and she's going to be awesome too."

Dani grinned, "Well, I am awesome."

Engel rolled her eyes, "Seriously?"

Daniela knelt down, placing her hands on Addie's arms and looking in the young girl's bright blue eyes, "I promise, Addie, I'm going to try and make everything better for this family."

"Really?" Addie asked, throwing herself into Dani's arms, "You're the best!"

Dani held the small girl tight, looking up at Engel as she did. Engel had just finished warning her not to bond with the kids, and at this moment she was promising little Addie that she would save the family.

Over on the couch, Hayden had been watching her daughter interact with the stranger. She would have gotten up to say pull her daughter away, but Engel was there with Addie.

She also couldn't help but notice something familiar about this stranger.

Samantha came over to her sister, offering her a glass of water. Hayden took it without taking her eyes off this stranger.

"Sammy, does that kid look familiar to you?" she asked.

Samantha looked over to where her daughter and niece were interacting with a red-headed teenager.

"She kinda looks like Dani," Samantha nodded. She turned back to her sister, "Don't worry too much about it, Hayden... we're probably just seeing things. Mom just died. We might just be trying to bring someone back. I bet you any red head we see tonight is going to look like Dani, just like Aunt Tori's always going to remind us of mom."

Hayden sighed, "I guess you're right."

Samantha sat down next to her sister, "Look, Hay, I know you've been mad at mom... but it's okay to cry."

"She tried to kill me, Sammy."

"Look at what you've done though," Samantha said, motioning to everyone in the room, "This family's broken apart. The only reason you're here is because you can't hurt Jason, Alex and Addie anymore than you already have."

"I've been mad for so long," Hayden sighed, "It was too hard not to be."

"How hard is it now?" Samantha asked, "Now that mom's dead, and she'll never know you've forgiven her and Uncle Mike 23 years ago?"

"I feel terrible," Hayden whimpered as her jaw started to shake and the tears began to form. "I didn't want this. I wish I could change everything."

Hayden looked over at her daughter and the stranger, just as Dani lifted her head, revealing her face to the two sisters. There was no denying it anymore.

"Sammy.... it is Dani," Hayden breathed, nudging her sister, "Its Dani... she's... she's..."

"She's jumped through time..." Samantha finished, staring at the sixteen year old girl from the past in awe.


	41. Flashforward Part III

Hayden and Samantha ran over to Daniela, stopping right in front of her. They looked down in awe at the young teenager standing there, unbelieving that she was alive after 23 years.

"What the hell happened to you?" Hayden asked, throwing her arms around her little cousin.

Addie moved closer to her mother and began tugging on her shirt, "Mommy... you know this lady?"

Hayden pulled away from Daniela and took her daughter's hand. She knelt down beside her daughter, holding her close.

"Addie, this is your Aunt Dani," Hayden breathed.

A smile came to little Addie's face as she looked up at the nice lady she believed was going to save her family.

"Your Aunt Dani?" she asked, "That is so cool! You're supposed to be dead."

"Yeah... about that," Samantha frowned, looking to Dani then to Engel, "What the hell is going on?"

Engel backed away from her mother defensively, "I swear, mom, I didn't use Angel powers! She just... appeared."

"Appeared? How?" Hayden asked.

"I woke up," Daniela said, "Last thing I remember is fighting the Time-Bot with Hayden and the other RPM Rangers. The bot tried manipulating time and... I guess I was thrown into the future because I wake up to this officer dude trying to tell me Aunt Kaylee's dead."

Hayden's smile dropped as she turned to her sister. Samantha shook her head sadly, and Hayden pulled Daniela aside slightly.

"Dani... kiddo... she is dead."

Daniela lowered her head, turning to Addie who was talking with her cousin and her Aunt, "I know... Addie and Engel both told me."

Daniela pulled Hayden a little farther away so she could discuss private matters, "Look, Hayden... Engel's also told me that you've never forgiven Mike or Aunt Kaylee... why?"

Hayden sighed deeply. She looked around the room, and Dani followed her gaze, seeing everyone she once knew, now 23 years older.

Hayden found a small corner and pulled Dani over there so no one would interrupt them.

"Look, Dani... everything was too hard," Hayden sighed, "After you died... I guess everyone just figured that we were never going to get a break from all the drama. I mean, we just saved the world, only to find out the world is still in danger, I'm still angry and now you die."

"So you gave up?" Daniela asked, "Hayden, you could have brought a little hope. Why didn't you forgive...?"

"I did," Hayden said, "Right after you talked to me on the couch. I forgave them... kinda... but I couldn't face them."

"Why not?" Daniela asked.

"It was too hard," Hayden explained, "I wasn't ready to face the music, I guess. You were right on the money when you said that..."

"When people get scared, they tend not to think things through. As soon as they see a way out, they run for it," Dani repeated, remembering the words she had spoken 23 years ago, but for it, it had been only a couple of days.

"Yeah... I was scared and embarrassed and nervous. I know I hurt them both," Hayden said, "I saw my only was out as being to... stay the way I was... angry. It was the easiest thing to do at the time because I was still kinda angry. Then... when the anger died... it was just too weird. If I just started acting normally then... I don't know. I could have gone to talk to them, but that would have been so awkward and they would cry... I would cry. This was just so much easier."

"So... you just let this happen?" Daniela asked, "Hayden... look at what you've done."

Dani motioned to the family, trying to interact with people they haven't seen in so long due to the fracture in the family, but the tension in the room was thick. No one wanted to offend Hayden, especially on the day her mother died, but people still wanted to talk with Michael and Dustin and Christian.

Hayden looked over at the people who loved her and sighed deeply. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I know... and if I could, I would go back in time and tell myself that I was stupid."

"Well, hello!" Daniela chuckled, "Maybe you can't go back in time... because that would be creepy... but I can go back in time!"

Hayden smiled for a moment, but it quickly slipped.

"Dani... you're in the future... yes... but... you can't travel... we're not that far advanced technology wise..."

"Greg! He could invent something! Right?" Daniela asked.

Hayden nodded, "He could... ever since your death he's locked himself up in a room. We think he's working on something... but he never talks about it."

"Where is he?" Daniela asked, "Did he come?"

"Everyone came... well... everyone who's still alive."

"Then where is he?" Daniela asked.

Hayden took her cousin's hand, pulling her through the crowd. Dani passed by a couple of people, recognising their aging faces, but before Hayden could take her to Greg, she hit one face she would always recognise, no matter how old that person got.

"Mom!" Daniela cried, darting through the people and barrelling herself over to her mother, jumping in her arms.

Ronny turned at the sound of her daughter's voice, feeling her stomach drop and her heart skip a beat. When she spotted her daughter, she could have sworn she was going to be the next Ranger to drop dead.

"D... D... Dani?" she stammered as the young red head through herself in her arms.

"What... what the hell.... what happened... where...?"

"I was never dead!" Dani explained, giggling, "I traveled through time."

Ronny felt relief wash over her as she grabbed her daughter, squeezing her tight.

"Thank God!" she smiled, "I missed you so much... I actually thought."

Dani started to feel squished as her mother held her. She giggled, pulling away.

"Mom, I'm okay... my head just hurts a little... but I'm still the same old Dani."

Ronny looked down at her daughter, seeing she hadn't aged a bit. She grinned happily, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulder.

"That you are," she nodded.

Daniela finally got a chance to look up at her mother, and could see that even through the smile, her expression was sad. The old Ronny, the one who would always be bouncing around, trying to keep her eyes on the bright side, was gone. After 23 years of living in misery, her mother had been reduced to a state of depression that was visible on her face and in her eyes.

"Mom, are you okay?" Daniela asked, "What happened to you."

"It's a really long story," Ronny sighed, "Don't worry about it..."

"Engel told me dad died..."

Ronny lowered her head, "It happened a few weeks after you left," she started, "He had been thinking about getting a job as a paramedic, instead of head doctor. Now that Venjix was gone, he wanted to be able to spend more time with us."

"But he's the only one with enough knowledge about genetic mutations... how..."

"Corinth and NewTech could work as one," Ronny explained, "Leanne was promoted so he could take his new position."

"But... what about her family?"

"Leanne was superwoman," Ronny chuckled, "I think she created the 25th hour."

"So... dad took the paramedic job?" Dani asked, "And he got into an accident?"

"A car refused to pull over for the ambulance," Ronny sighed, "Instead... the driver panicked and slammed the breaks. Your dad wasn't driving so his partner slammed on the breaks, but it was too late. They were going so fast that they drove, full speed, into the car. He didn't make it."

Daniela pulled away from the shock of the news, turning to Hayden and hoping that the older woman would shake her head and make this all a horrible story.

"I'm sorry," Hayden breathed.

Ronny cupped her daughter's face, "You're going to try and go back... right... to fix Hayden's mess..."

"I have to," Daniela nodded, "I can't let you guys live like this..."

Ronny smiled, "When you go back... tell your father not to take the job... come up with a story... lie... do anything you can... just... don't let him die."

"I won't," Daniela grinned, "I'll change everything. I promise."

Over in another corner of the room, a figure had been watching Daniela for some time. He couldn't believe she was standing right here with him. After so many years of being told she was dead, he finally had the proof he need to show everyone he was right.

He stepped out of the shadows, hearing Daniela tell her mother she was going to change everything. He grinned, thinking back on the work he had been hiding for 23 years.

Dani looked up at her mother with a happy smile, "I'll make sure dad doesn't die," she assured her. She turned to Hayden, "What about the others..."

"Sensei, Mr. H, and Uncle Tommy all died naturally," Hayden said, exchanging looks with Ronny.

"What about Aunt Leah and Aunt Fran?" Daniela asked.

"Aunt Fran had an unfortunate accident a few years ago," Hayden frowned, "But... I wouldn't worry about it too much. On her death bed, she told Joel she was happy with her life. I've never seen her smiling so much..."

"Joel?"

"Hers and Dom's grandson," Ronny explained, wrapping her arms around her daughter, "Don't worry about Fran, sweetheart. She'll be fine. If anything, make sure her death is a little less painful."

"How?" Dani asked, "I need to know how she died so I can warn her..."

"Don't let me walk away from my family," Hayden sighed as she lowered her head in shame, "I ruined everything..."

Dani tried to pull away from the subject, "What about Aunt Leah?" she asked, "What happened to her?"

"She was shot... five times," Hayden breathed, "It wasn't pretty."

"She... she was shot?" Dani asked, "By who?"

"When you change the past, you'll change her fate... don't worry about it Dan... Just focus on..."

"Focus on getting back home," Greg spoke, coming to his girlfriend's side and looking down at her. She was just as beautiful as he remember (granted she was still the Daniela he remember), and Greg felt his heart soar as he took her hand.

"Greg!" Dani squeaked, jumping in his arms. He caught her, spinning her around due to the momentum from her "attack" and kissed her passionately.

When they broke away, Greg smiled down at Daniela, "I knew you weren't dead."

"Thank you," Daniela laughed, "You're the only one so far..."

Engel walked over to the group, touching Dani's arm, "Aunt Dani... you can't stay here much longer."

"Why not?" Dani frowned, "I'm loving all this Dani love!"

"The kids are starting to ask questions," Engel whispered, "Pretty soon it'll be way too chaotic for you to gather information to stop this future from happening."

"C'mon," Hayden said, grabbing her cousin's arm, "We'll go to our old room to talk."

Daniela nodded, following Dani, until she remembered she wasn't alone in the future. She stopped and turned to the others.

"Wait... T15 and her Time-Bot brought me here... they would be in the city still... I can't leave them in this time!"

"Why not?" Addie asked, coming over with her father, "I always wanted to be a Power Ranger!"

"T15's probably come here to attack us while we're old," Greg sighed, "Look, Dan, don't worry about her. Right now gather information..."

"But what if she attacks?" Daniela asked, "I can't leave you guys to fight her on your own... none of you would fit in the spandex..."

"That is no spandex," Daniela smirked, hearing Rebecca shout from across the room. Even after so many years, the genius was still sensitive about the fabric used to create the suits.

"Uh-oh," Addie laughed, "You made Aunt Becca mad!"

Daniela laughed, ruffling Addie's hair, "I used to make her go crazy in my spare time."

"Dani, hurry up and talk with Hayden. Figure out how to keep this from happening, and come to the lab. I've been working on a machine that'll help you get home."

"So it was a time machine," Engel chuckled, sticking her hand out as her mother put twenty dollars in it. "I was right."

"Yeah... after a few days, I figured the time-bot must have taken Daniela somewhere in time. So I built it, in case we were to ever run into her again."

"Thank goodness you did," Engel nodded. She turned to Daniela and Hayden, "While you guys talk, I'll lure T15 and the Time-Bot out, and I'll bring them here. All you're going to have to worry about is taking them home with you, so the oldies don't have to worry about defeating them."

"We're not old," Hayden frowned, "We're experienced. Now c'mon, Dani."

Dani smiled at her family before running off with Hayden.

-----RPM-----

The room upstairs was bare, with the exception of Daniela's stuff. It seemed that after her death, no one wanted to move anything that belonged to her.

Dani jumped on her bed, snuggling up in the old blankets. Hayden laughed, sitting on the edge.

"Look, there isn't much you need to know," Hayden started, "You staying alive will change a lot."

"But what do I have to do?" Dani asked.

"Right after you died... we were all in the lab," Hayden breathed, "I was hurting because you were gone, and I decided to go to bed... I guess Mike knew this, because he asked if I wanted to talk."

"Hayden..." Daniela groaned, knowing what was coming next, "You should have talked with him! The longer you wait..."

"The harder it gets," Hayden finished, "I know, I know. When you go back to the past... hopefully you reappear sometime around then. If so, I don't care how much I beg, how much I whine... you've got to get me, Mike and my mom in the same room, and we've got to talk."

"Hay... that doesn't work; I hear you whenever you talk with your mom. You reduce her to tears..."

"You've got to figure out something!" Hayden begged, "My mother just died thinking I still hate her, when in fact I love her! I always have and I always will! She's my biggest hero! I can't have her thinking anything else."

"Then why do you make her feel like she no longer means anything to you?" Daniela asked.

"I just got so angry whenever she said the same things..."

"You forgave Flynn..."

"Flynn couldn't do it... it was different..."

"But that meant that if we did lose, Flynn would have allowed you to suffer..."

Hayden's head lifted up as she looked at Daniela with a huge smile.

"Dan... I don't know why, but... you're getting all this out of me," she grinned, "I can talk about this, without getting angry..."

"Okay... but..."

"Don't you get it? I just need a rant... if I can get all my feelings out, without someone interrupting... maybe I can deal with talking to my mother or Mike calmly... then I won't get angry..."

"But how will talking to me help them help you?" Daniela asked.

"Have them listen," Hayden smirked, "You need to stay in the room too! Get me, you and my mom and Mike in the room. Then start asking me about this fight. Don't let them interrupt me so I can get this all off my chest... then do the same for mom and Mike! If we can all talk this through, and get our emotions out, it'll be easier for us to see where we're all standing, and why we're acting the way we are."

Daniela nodded, wearing a huge smile on her face, "I'll do it," she said, "I'll fix this. This family won't be broken, no one will have to walk on egg shells, and I'll save my father from death."

Dani bounced off her bed, not wanting to waste any time and be the hero she was supposed to be. However, Hayden caught her arm just before she reached the door.

"Dani... wait... about your dad... if he's meant to die... you know it's going to happen," she warned.

Dani sighed, "I don't want it too."

"I don't either... it was way too much drama for us... but hopefully everything works out."

Daniela nodded, breathing in deeply, "You know, if I change this future... your kids won't exist."

"They're not happy anyways," Hayden sighed, "I don't want them living like this... just promise you'll take care of the new family."

"I'll watch them," Dani beamed, "Don't worry your little head off, Mayday. I'll do everything in my power to keep this future from coming true."

-----RPM-----

Daniela made her way into the lab, where she found Greg, Engel and T15 standing by a rather large machine. T15 was tied up and being held by Engel. The Angel grinned as Dani appeared and threw T15 on the ground.

"Don't worry about the Time-Bot," she laughed, "I took care of him."

Greg turned to his machine, "I'm going to set T15's location for the Palace," he announced.

"It's where I'll be going anyway," T15 smirked, "You're just saving me time."

"Don't push it. I could send you into the center of the earth if I wanted too," Greg growled. He made sure the settings were correct before Engel shoved t15 through the portal.

Dani watched her enemy leave and looked to Greg, "Did you send her to the center?" she asked.

"That would be a stupid idea," he chuckled, tapping the machine, "I don't have that much power on this thing, just enough to get you home."

Dani smiled. There was an awkward silence in the room that forced Engel to leave. When the couple was left alone, Dani looked up.

"Greg, did you really believe I was still alive?" she asked.

"I never doubted it," he nodded, "Our link didn't die, I know you didn't."

"Have you moved on?" Daniela asked gently. Greg shook his head.

"I couldn't ever bear the thought of loving someone else," he said, "I never have, and I never will."

Daniela smiled and giggled while Greg reached into his pocket. He pulled out a necklace with a race car medal hanging from a silver chain.

"Dani... ten years after your disappearance, I bought you this," he said, placing it around her neck, "I knew that someday, you would come back, and I wanted you to know just how much you meant to me."

"Greg, you don't need to buy me..."

Daniela was cut off as Greg pressed his lips to hers and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in. Dani smiled, kissing him back. It didn't matter to her that he was now 39 years old, and she was still only 16. In his arms was where everything felt right.

"Daniela Marks," Greg breathed, pulling away slightly, "I really love you; forever and always. If this was real, and nothing was going to change, I would ask you to marry me... but you're leaving... and I won't know about any of this..."

Daniela laughed, "Don't worry about it," she said, "If we both reach..."

"I'm crazy about you Dani," Greg told her, "Even before you disappeared, I loved you so much..."

"If in two years from now, you still haven't proposed, I'll do it," Daniela laughed, "I'll get down on my knee and I'll ask for your hand in marriage."

Greg chuckled, "That'll be very pathetic on my part."

"Then my present you better hurry your damn ass up and propose," Dani laughed, "Because I'm not going to wait 23 years before deciding to settle down and marry you. I'm a speedster, everything's gotta happen fast."

"I love you, Daniela," Greg smiled, kissing her once more, quickly, before setting the machine to take her home.

"Love you too," Daniela nodded. Just before stepping into the portal, Daniela heard a little voice call her name.

"Aunt Dani, where are you going?" Addie asked, running over to her Aunt and wrapping her arms around her legs. "You're supposed to save us!"

Dani turned around and knelt down so she was at eye level with the young girl, "That's what I'm going to do, Addie, but for that to happen, I have to go away."

"How long will you be gone?" Addie frowned.

"I'm not coming back, sweetheart," Dani breathed, not wanting to lie to the child.

"Then how can you save us?"

Dani sighed deeply before picking up the child and holding her in her arms.

"Addie... I'm from the past, and I've got to go home so I can change all this... unfortunately, that means you won't be born."

"You're going to kill me?" Addie asked.

"No... never, sweetie... I wouldn't do that..."

Addie squirmed out of her Aunt's arms and ran over to Greg, she hugged his legs and looked over to Daniela.

"You're supposed to save me! Not kill me!"

"Addie, listen... I'm going to save you... I'm going to save this entire family... you have to trust me."

"You're going to kill me..."

"No... no..." Dani made her way over to Addie, still on her knees, "Addie... I love you, but... in the future I'm going to make, to keep everyone happy... there's a chance you might not be born..."

"No, promise me you'll make me be borned!" Addie demanded, "Promise you'll make mommy and daddy have me."

Daniela looked up at Greg with a horrified look; she quickly mouthed "ew" to him. Addie caught her look and lashed out, throwing herself on Daniela and hitting the older girl. The punches weren't strong, but they were getting their message across.

Dani took a deep breath, grabbing the little hands, "I promise, if mommy and daddy have a little girl, they'll name her Addie..."

"Adeline," Addie huffed, "My real name is Adeline."

"I promise, their baby girl will be named Adeline."

Dani stepped away from little Addie after kissing the top of her head and moved to the machine. She turned to Greg.

"Good luck," she whispered, "And remember; I'm a speedster."

Greg laughed. He knew Dani was aware that what she told him now wouldn't change her present, but he also knew she couldn't leave without saying a goodbye.

-----RPM-----

"I'm going to bed," Hayden said.

"Hayden... can we talk?" Mike asked before she left. Hayden stopped and sighed

"No," she said simply before stepping out the doors.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Hayden felt someone drop right on top of her, pinning her to the ground as her fist smashed on the ground, to keep her head from doing so, but her heart landed on her fist.

"Ow," she whimpered.

The body rolled off her and laughed.

"I guess that's one way to keep you here."


	42. Healing the Wound

"Dani, get off me. I have an interview tomorrow morning and I need..."

"No, no walking off!" Dani frowned, sitting on Hayden once more to keep her cousin from running off. "I need to talk with you, Mike and Aunt Kaylee."

"Why?" Hayden growled, shoving the red head off. "I've got to..."

"Please!" Dani begged, grabbing Hayden's arm and pulling her back, "It's important! I promise!"

"C'mon, Hayden," Kaylee sighed, "You know Daniela's persistent."

"Where have you been?" Summer asked, looking to the silver Ranger.

"It's a long story. I'll explain later, I promise; but right now I need Hayden, Aunt K and Mike to talk to each other before everyone dies and this family is torn apart!"

Hayden took a deep breath, "If I do this, will you leave me alone?"

"Yes," Dani nodded, "I'll leave you alone if you want... just, do this!"

Daniela grabbed Hayden's wrist and tugged her into the Garage so everyone could talk on the couch. Mike and Kaylee exchanged looks before shrugging and following the youngest Ranger to the couches.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Kaylee asked. Daniela shoved Hayden on the couch and looked to her Aunt.

"I want you three to talk," Daniela said, "Mostly you and Hayden, though. I need you guys to talk about what happened and how you're feeling. Aunt K and Mike, you two can start."

"Dani..."

"Shh," Dani hushed, placing her hand over Hayden's mouth.

Kaylee rolled her eyes as she reached for Daniela, pulling her away from her daughter. Dani moved happily, allowing Kaylee to sit beside Hayden. The older woman smiled at her baby girl, taking Hayden's hand in hers.

"Hayden... you know I love you..."

"You've got a funny way of showing it," Hayden scoffed, "You tried to..."

Dani slammed her hand over Hayden's mouth, "Let your mother talk. Believe me; you'll thank me for this one day."

Kaylee kept her gaze on her daughter, "Baby girl, I love you more than anything. The day you were born was the happiest day of my life. As any mother would, I swore to protect you from harm and insure you live a happy, healthy and kick ass life. However, when I took you to Leanne and she told me that your power was invincibility, I freaked."

"You freaked?" Dani frowned, looking to her Aunt before covering her mouth with her own hands, allowing her mentor to continue.

Kaylee chuckled, understanding the confusion. She continued, "Look, Hayden. Now that you were invincible, I didn't have to keep as close an eye on you. I always did, because I was afraid something terrible would happen to you, but I didn't have to stress as much as your Aunts did when it came to their babies. But there was always that nagging voice in the back of my mind. Being a Ranger, I know evil never dies. I knew from the day I retired that I would be thrown right back into a world of danger, and now that you were in my world, you would be in that danger as well. My promise to protect you would really come into play."

"Hayden... I know this looks bad," Mike started, sitting on the other side of the pink Ranger, "But... when we tried to kill you, it wasn't to hurt you. It was to protect you."

"I don't really get it though..." Hayden sighed.

Kaylee squeezed her hand, "Hayden, for years now I've been having horrible nightmares. They always involved you, me and evil, more recently Venjix. My nightmares have been about the world coming to its end, and falling to Venjix. Everyone we've ever known, loved, cared for... they were all dead. Me, your father, sister, brother, cousins and all your Aunts and Uncles... they were all gone. But you... you weren't. No matter how hard Venjix tried, he couldn't kill you. He took you prisoner and tried, day in and day out... I always saw you, tied to a table as Venjix and his generals injected you with different kinds of poison to try and kill you... but your body would always flush it out, and you would be left in so much pain..."

"If you would see it... why couldn't you stop it?" Hayden asked.

"I was dead," Kaylee sighed, "Every time I would try to reach you, touch you, and tell you I was right there, but I was just a ghost. I couldn't do anything. I could only watch you suffer. So, when I planned this final attack on Venjix, I knew that there were good chances that my nightmare would come true. I couldn't let that happen... I couldn't let you go through years of torture, only to know it was never going to end. I know how to kill you... so I told Mike and Flynn, just in case we were to lose... Baby girl, I know this plan was stupid... I know I should have talked to you, but... you mean so much to me."

"I just feel betrayed," Hayden breathed, "Suddenly I'm being attacked by Mike... on your orders..."

"Hayden, your turn, later," Dani reminded the pink Ranger, "Aunt K and Mike aren't done."

Hayden sighed and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest before she felt her heart warm. She looked down at her wound and saw it was pounding with her heartbeat. She rubbed it gently, trying to sooth the slight pain she was feeling.

"Look, Hayden, I could never tell you this enough," Kaylee smiled, "I love you so much. You're my daughter. You're my life, you're my light, and you're everything I want to be... you're my only real baby girl. Samantha was raised by Engel, and Christian's not my blood. I love them both dearly, but you hold a special spot. I would do anything for you. I would run to the end of the world just to see a smile on your face for a split second. If I had to choose between you and the city, I would choose you in a heartbeat..."

Hayden felt her injury beat faster and harder. It hurt deeply, but she knew she needed to let her mother speak.

Kaylee kept going, unaware of her daughter's discomfort, "I don't want to see you cry. I don't want to see you upset. I know I'm not the best of mother's and I know I make mistakes... but I'm trying. All I want is for you to be happy."

Daniela waited a moment to see if Kaylee was going to continue, but the former Green Ranger pulled away. She did, however, keep her eyes on Hayden, looking longingly and waiting for some kinda of respond.

"Mike?" Dani asked, looking to Mike to see if he had anything to add. Mike nodded.

"Hay, I love you too. You know I just want to protect you. This seemed like the easiest way... I'm so sorry..."

Hayden looked to her mother and her cousin and grinned. Daniela nodded to her and she started.

"Mom... Mike..." she said before suddenly breaking down, burying her head in her mother's lap. Kaylee didn't hesitate to grab her daughter and hold her close. Hayden muffled through the hug, "I'm so sorry..."

Mike's hand touched Hayden's back, "It's okay," he whispered, leaning in close, "You don't have to cry..."

"I was a total bitch," Hayden said, "I knew this... I know you guys love me... I know you just wanted to protect me... but I was just... I was so scared... I... it was..."

"It was easier to be mad?" Dani asked the older girl. Hayden looked up a little surprised Daniela knew what she was saying.

"Yeah," she nodded, "It was easier to stay mad at you then it was... then it was to have this talk..."

"Hayden..." Kaylee breathed, but Hayden pulled away. Kaylee kept her arms around her daughter, shifting her position so she was still facing her little girl.

"I'm so sorry, mom," Hayden whispered, "I love you too, you know I do... I always will... but... I just... I can't explain it... everything was... and... it..."

"You don't have to say it," Mike told the girl. Hayden shook her head, feeling her heart pound once more.

"I was scared," she said, "When you attacked, and when I woke up I had no idea what was going on... I was so scared that I let it control me... I'm so sorry."

Kaylee pulled her daughter into her arms and hugged her tight. Mike joined in, wrapping his arms around his extended family.

"I love you, Hayden," Kaylee whispered, "No matter what you do, no matter what you say. I will always love you."

-----RPM-----

In the lab, Samantha was eyeing the door to the Garage suspiciously while everyone else gathered around Dr. K. Suddenly, the curly haired Brooks girl turned to her family.

"What the fuck?" she asked, pointing to where he mother, sister and cousins left.

"It's Dani," Greg chuckled, "I'm sure we're going to hear all about it once she's done with the others."

"Anyone else notice her necklace?" Flynn smirked, nudging Greg playfully, "Way to go all out."

"A... necklace?" Greg frowned, "What... I didn't get her..."

Flynn pointed to his own neck, "There was a necklace... it's not something Dani would usually wear but..."

"Where the hell was she?" Ronny asked nervously, "She was off the map and dead a few minutes ago... now she's... here?"

"I told you," Greg sighed in annoyance, "She's not dead. She never was! The link..."

"You were right, Greg," Summer nodded, "Dani wasn't dead... thank God... but, we just want to know where she was."

"Again, I told you guys," Greg repeated, breathing deeply to keep calm, "She'll tell us all about it once she's done. Daniela may be a very distracted and hyper girl, but when she's passionate about something, or knows it's important, Daniela's focused and determined like there's no tomorrow."

Greg looked over at his friend's faces, seeing they were all giving him nods. He felt a sense of relief when he knew they agreed with him. That meant he was right, and Dani had been okay. Even though he always believed she wasn't dead, he had been worried horribly. Seeing her drop on Hayden calmed him down, allowing him to finally breathe. But he had seen the look on her face when she tried to pull Hayden, Kaylee and Mike out of the room and he knew that before taking her in his arms and thanking whatever god was up there that she was okay, he had to let her finish whatever mission she was on.

He was broken from his thoughts when little Engel wobbled into the room with her fist in her mouth and a smile on her face. Samantha gasped, picking up the little girl.

"How did you get out of your crib, little missy?" she asked her daughter, poking her nose. Engel giggled playfully, grabbing a handful of her mother's hair before wing sprouted from her back. They were very small, only slightly wider than Engel herself, and they looked very fragile, but they seemed to be strong enough to hold her up.

"Ah," Samantha laughed, loosening her grip on her daughter, but keeping her arms at the ready to catch the eleven month old in case she dropped. Engel's wings fluttered, holding her up in the air as she chuckled.

"She has wings?" Scott asked, his jaw dropping, "Oh God."

"Welcome to the family," Samantha chuckled, forgetting for a moment that her engagement to Scott was still something kept under wraps.

"Welcome to the..." Summer trailed off as she turned to her cousin slowly, "Are you saying what I think you're..."

Samantha looked to Scott as she chuckled nervously. Engel sensed the tension in the room, but she could tell by her Aunt's and Uncles' expressions that it was a funny kind of tension. The little child giggled happily.

Summer laughed as well, stealing her niece from Samantha's arms as she looked to her older cousin.

"Spill, Brooks," she smirked.

"We're engaged," Scott beamed, wrapping his arm around Samantha's waist and pulling her into him, "It just happened, and it was weird as hell, right Engel?"

"Congratulations," Ziggy chuckled, patting his leader on the back, "Hot babe for life."

Scott grinned, catching the L-Green Ranger in a high five, causing Samantha to give him a funny look. He simply shrugged and kissed her.

"It was that or we call you an old hag," he laughed.

"I like the hot babe one," Samantha smiled.

-----RPM-----

As soon as Dani saw her family was coming back together, she cheered, throwing her hands in the air as she began a little victory dance. The three Hansons looked to her and laughed.

"What are you doing?" they asked.

"I saved the future, I saved the future!" Daniela chanted, "What I saw is not going to happen! ... Wait a minute... Addie..."

Dani's excitement drained from her face as she picture the poor young girl. She felt a strong connection with the child she barely got to know, and though the future Engel had told her not to bond with the children, she had. She had fallen for little Adeline and she had fallen hard. Addie was a child living in a broken and confusing family. She was sad and lonely, clinging to every little bit of hope she could find that would change her family for the better, not just herself, but at the same time, she enjoyed life. She was so happy to be alive, that just the thought of no longer getting that opportunity reduced her to tears.

"Addie?" Hayden asked, "Who is Addie?"

"It's a long story," Dani sighed. She turned to the clock, seeing it was getting late, "And you have an interview tomorrow, right?"

Hayden nodded, remembering the interview she had set up to publicly announce humanity's victory over Venjix, even if T15 was still in the running for world domination. At least there was still a little hope.

Dani let out a small smile, "I'll tell you all tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright," Kaylee said, getting off the couch and holding Hayden's hand tight in her own. "You probably had a long day."

"Yeah, it feels like it's been 23 years or something," Dani joked to herself, "See you all in the morning."

"Goodnight," Mike and Kaylee called.

Kaylee turned to leave as well to call the others for bed, but felt Hayden tug on her hand. She turned to her daughter and saw Hayden motion to Dani. Kaylee nodded, kissing her baby girl before letting her go.

Hayden quickly turned and ran over to Dani before jumping on her back and hugging her.

"Thank you," she whispered into her cousin's ear, "You don't know how hard that would have been..."

"Believe me, I do," Dani nodded, "And don't worry about it. All that work's going to pay off. If you and Aunt Kaylee got into a really big fight, it would mean disaster for all of us."

"You're a good friend, Dani," Hayden smiled, "You're a really good best friend."

"Anytime," Dani nodded.

Hayden playfully shoved her cousin, wearing a smile on her face as the two began to walk to their bedroom. Dani huffed teasingly, shoving Hayden back, but accidentally hitting Hayden's heart. Remembering it was injured and sore, she gasped and quickly apologized.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't..."

"Don't worry about it," Hayden nodded, "It didn't hurt at all. I actually didn't feel..."

Both girls stopped and looked at each other for a moment before Hayden pulled her short down, exposing the skin above her heart. To both their surprise, the wound was gone. Hayden was back to normal.

Hayden covered herself up and looked to Dani, "Just to be sure, I'm going to get some rest and I'll go to the interview so whatever radiation might still be left can flush out," she said, "You be sure to warn your dad though that as soon as I get home, we're going to save my cousin."

Daniela nodded and quickly hugged the older girl.

"Glad everything's back to normal," she smiled, "Or... at least, what we consider normal."


	43. The Interview

The following morning, Hayden was up early to get ready for her interview. Her hair had already been done and she was dressed. All that was left was for her to fill her stomach, and then she could get out the door.

She made her way to the fridge and pulled it open, spotting so yogurt and an apple. She wasn't all that hungry and went for the yogurt. As she slammed the fridge door shut with her foot, she turned around and almost bumped into Scott and Engel.

"Whoa, I didn't see you there," she said, keeping her voice low so she didn't wake anyone up.

"Sorry about that," Scott chuckled, "Engel decided to wake up early this morning. I bet you she knew I would be watching her."

"Yeah, she'll do that when it's not Sam who's gotta wake up early," Hayden nodded, "Why are you watching her, though?"

"Now that I'm going to be a part of this family, I might as well," Scott said, turning away from Hayden for a moment so he could put Engel in her high chair.

Hayden tilted her head to the side and frowned, "You're going to be a part of what?"

Scott turned slowly, "This family... oh you weren't there!" Scott laughed slightly as he remembered his conversation with the others about his engagement to Samantha. Hayden, Kaylee, Dani and Mike were in the other room, and therefore didn't hear. Apparently they still didn't have a clue about it.

Scott looked over to Hayden with a smile, "I proposed to your sister, and she said yes."

"And who did you ask?" Hayden frowned, playfully crossing her arms and glaring at Scott. "Flynn asked my dad."

"I asked Sammy's mom," Scott smirked, pointing over his shoulder to Engel, who was digging her fingers into her breakfast, "She said yes."

Hayden shrugged, "Okay, cool. Does that mean I can annoy you now as well?"

Scott sighed, lowering his head slightly, "Go ahead."

"Yay," Hayden cheered, sticking her hand in his hair, "Oh no! It's eating me!"

Engel heard her aunt happily screaming for help and looked up. She smiled brightly at Hayden and clapped her hands. Hayden pulled her hand out of Scott's hair and bowed for her niece.

"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here until I'm not!" she laughed.

Scott playfully shoved Hayden aside, "Go to your interview."

Hayden nodded and smiled, "I will."

She skipped off to her room to grab the last few items that she needed and Scott had to laugh. He was glad Samantha's family was slowing fixing itself after the Venjix battle. His proposal would have still happened, but Scott would have been a lot more worried about marrying into a broken family.

Things were definitely working out.

Just as Scott turned to clean off Engel he heard a scream from the girls' bedroom. He rolled his eyes and sighed deeply.

"Oh, Hayden..."

-----RPM-----

"You didn't tell me you were engaged!" Hayden cried, jumping on her sister's bed, landing just on top of her and waking her up instantly. Samantha screamed, pulling out from under Hayden while the youngest blonde scooted closer. She began to poke her sister, "How did it happen, huh? Did he get down on one knee? Was it romantical? Did you cry?"

"You're engaged?" Dani asked, rolling right out of her own bed to join Hayden on Samantha's. "Why didn't I know? OOH, when did it happen?"

Samantha pulled the blankets up to her shoulders to try and hide from the overjoyed girls. She turned to Summer for some help, but the yellow Ranger was too busy laughing to do anything.

"It's still pretty recent," Samantha said, calming her sister and cousin, "I was going to tell you all when this drama stopped."

"Good," Hayden nodded, throwing herself off the bed and grabbing her bag, "Now I have two boyfriends I can mess with."

"Why don't you ever pick on Greg?" Summer whined, throwing her pillow to her cousin, "Dillon's been plotting your destruction since you put super glue in his pants."

"In?" Samantha asked. Summer nodded slowly.

"Not on... in," she said.

Samantha sighed, "I'll tell Scott to watch out."

Hayden grinned like a little child before turning to Dani, "I'm going for my interview. Don't forget to tell your dad to get everything ready for Dawn. I want to heal her as soon as I get back."

Dani saluted, "Can do. I've got to talk to him anyway. I hear he wants to be a paramedic instead of head doctor. Believe me, that is so the wrong choice."

"And Summer and I are going to talk with mom," Samantha said, "We're going to see how she wants to deal with the T15 problem and if she's thinking of permanently opening the borders between NewTech and Corinth."

"If she does, let me know," Dani nodded, "I'm going to try and compromise with dad so he can be home a lot more, but doesn't have to be a paramedic. That means Corinth will lose their head doctor and their one specialist in humans with chromosomal mutations and genetic powers. If Corinth and NewTech become one, Aunt Leah can take over that position no problem."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Summer asked the red head, "Corinth's pretty strict on their medicine rules, and NewTech's more... come as you please. If Aunt Leah decides to change it, someone's going to get mad."

"Believe me, it's for the best," Dani said, "I did just visit the future."

"That's where you were," Samantha laughed.

"No wonder you knew how to deal with things as soon as you got back," Hayden smiled, "Anyways, I'm off. I've got an interview to do!"

-----RPM-----

Hayden was watching from backstage as Hellen, the woman who asked to interview her after the Venjix battle, introduced her to the audience. She was a little nervous and was playing with the ring on her necklace, but she was as excited as ever. She remembered her mother and Aunt Kira telling her about their many interviews and how fun some of them could be. She just hopped Hellen was going to be as awesome as she thought.

She suddenly heard her name being called and she walked out on stage, waving to the people in the audience as Hellen came up to her and welcomed her with a warm hug.

Hayden grinned as she pulled away, taking her seat across from Hellen's while the cheering settled down. Once it was low enough for conversation, Hellen turned to Hayden.

"Hayden, welcome to the show," she smiled.

Hayden smiled back and looked out at all the people, "There are a lot of people here."

"They came to see you," Hellen nodded.

"Well, I guess when you save the world your name travels," Hayden chuckled. Hellen laughed as well.

"There's that, and the fact that we live in a dome."

"That too," Hayden laughed nervously. Hellen decided to break the ice by starting off the interview.

"So, Hayden, how have you been?"

"Pretty good," Hayden nodded, "I've been really tired lately though."

"Up to anything special?" Hellen asked teasingly. The answer to that was obvious, but she liked it when her guests were comfortable and she found the best way to do that was to allow them to make people laugh with them.

"Oh, you know, my team and I just defeated the lord of evil, so, you know, the usual."

"Oh yeah, I think I heard something about that," Hellen chuckled, "That mustn't of been easy."

"It was a little hard," Hayden nodded, "My friends kinda died mid-way through the battle, and I died towards the end. But its okay, we all lived."

Hayden smiled as Hellen began to laugh loudly, along with the audience and crew members. On normal terms, what Hayden said would have confused everyone, but after the final battle and living in the bunkers (were knowledge on the Rangers was passed along for comfort reason), everything was normal. However, the abnormal statement didn't go unnoticed, which brought on the laughter.

Hellen quickly recomposed herself, still chuckling slightly as she asked the next question, "How do you guys do it?"

"Fight?"

"Yeah, you're all just kids. I mean, don't get me wrong, you kids are great, but it must be hard constantly holding the weight of the world on your shoulders like that."

Hayden nodded, "It is, but we tend not to think about it like that."

"So how do you do it then?"

"Well, being a Ranger is a very demanding job. You've always got to be in peek physical condition and you've got to be mentally stable... kinda... okay, our mentors have to be stable. We Rangers can be as dangerous and daring as we want."

"Isn't it hard though?" Hellen asked, "Does the pressure ever get to you?"

"Sometime," Hayden nodded, "But like I said, we don't look at this job like saving the world. We all know that's what we're doing, but we take it one battle at a time, and we always have a reason to fight: whether it's to win the battle, or to come home to family and friends."

"Can I ask what your reason is?" Hellen asked, "Why did you want to be a Ranger?"

"You guys all know my mom was the Overdrive Ranger before..."

"Actually," Hellen smirked, "While everyone was living in the bunkers, during the battle, it got kinda crazy. People were worrying about their fates to the point where your Aunt stepped up to try and calm us down."

"She did?" Hayden asked, raising her eyebrow, "My Aunt Tori?"

"Yes," Hellen nodded, "And she had some interesting things to say."

"I think I'll need to have a talk with a certain Aunt of mine," Hayden growled, turning to the camera's for a moment, knowing Tori was going to be watching this when it aired. Hellen laughed slightly, touching Hayden's arm to catch her attention.

"Well, you must know that the only way to calm a crowd is to assure them that, worst come to worst, there's still hope, she had to spill some beans."

"What kind of beans?' Hayden asked.

"It starts with the Wind Ninja Academy," Hellen said, "And goes right through to Pai Zhuq."

"It does?" Hayden frowned.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Hellen laughed, "Your Aunt called here earlier today, knowing this topic was going to come up. She wanted me to assure you that the Senseis and Masters all discussed this once they heard they were going to be locked underground during humanity's final stand."

"Okay," Hayden nodded slowly. She trusted Tori to tell the truth, and she knew the only way her Aunt would let the Ninja/King Fu cat out of the bag was if she did have permission and if it was for the safety of the city. "I guess that's good then."

"Anyways, what I was leading to was that we know you're mom's the legendary female green Ranger. Now my question is: did that influence you into taking over the family business?"

"It did," Hayden nodded, "My mother's the best. I've always really looked up to her, and when I learned she was a Power Ranger... well I was three so my first reaction was '_I want to be just like mommy!'_, but as I grew older, I understood more of what it meant to be a Ranger and how you help people. That's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be just like my mom and my dad, and with my powers, why not defend this city."

Hellen smiled, "Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I am glad you did decided to become a Ranger. Now I've got some questions about the Academies. I'm sure everyone would like some answers, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I've got some funny stuff," Hayden smirked, "Mike and I attended the Wind Ninja Academy together. He's so going to hate me when this is done."

Hellen laughed, "Alright, so as far as I know there are three different elements in the Ninja Academies..."

"Four," Hayden corrected, "The Wind Ninja has air, earth, my element, and water. Then there's the Thunder Academy. It trains its students in thunder manipulation."

"Alright... note to self, stay away from angry teenage ninjas."

"Can I tell my funny stories now?" Hayden giggled, bouncing in her seat.

"Go ahead," Hellen chuckled.

Hayden grinned, "Okay, this one's not all that funny, it's more... W-T-F, but anyways, as I said before, I'm an earth Ninja. So I can manipulate the ground and everything in relation to it, such as rocks and dirt and mud. Anyways, when I was training I created this small, pointy rock to attack Mike with and I had forgotten all about it a couple of minutes later. It was just lying on the ground, waiting for an accident."

"Did Mike step on it?" Hellen asked. Hayden shook her head.

"Actually, I did," Hayden smirked, "And what was odd about it – remember this rock was really pointy – it didn't puncture my foot like it should have. Instead it just left this huge indent on my foot. When I got home, Summer was living with my family at the time, I showed it to her and she cringed. It was so deep, yet there was no injury, nothing."

"You can heal, though..."

"Yeah, but there would have been blood. I have to bleed to heal... but there was nothing. It was just a huge indent in my foot for three days."

"Weird," Hellen nodded.

"Yep, and, this story's funny when you really think about it. Another time, when I was in class with Mike, still at the Academy, we had to get into our uniforms. And do to that you've gotta rip off your civilian clothes because your uniform would be on underneath. Well, Mike, being the moron he is, forgot to put on his uniform and let's just say I saw a lot more Mike than I wanted to. Thank god for boxers."

Hellen started laughing, but really began as she pictured Mike throwing off his clothes only to realise there was nothing to cover him aside from boxers.

"How did he react?" she asked.

"He turned red," Hayden chuckled, "Which is funny, cause his element if blue water and navy thunder. He's in no way supposed to be the red guy."

Hellen smiled and turned to the camera, "Alright, we'll be right back after the break with more of Hayden Brooks and life as a Ranger, stay tuned."

The cameras pulled away for a moment, allowing everyone to catch their breath and the audience to leave for a short bathroom break. Hellen turned to Hayden.

"Alright, kiddo, when we get back, we're going to go a little more into the personal lives of the Rangers. Is that okay?"

"If you mean pass-times and stuff then yeah, it's totally cool," Hayden nodded, waving off Hellen's concern.

"Great. What about family life? Everyone knows you Rangers are taking care of a baby. Can I ask about that?"

Hayden chuckled, "I don't know... Ziggy can be a little shy if there's too much attention on him."

Hellen looked over at Hayden curiously. She had been asking about baby Evangeline. Hayden spotted the look and smirked.

"Yeah, you can ask me about Engel."

The lights came back and the doors in the studio began to close. The audience was told to quiet down as everyone began filming again.

"Alright," Hellen started, "We're back with the amazing Pink RPM Ranger, Hayden Brooks. Now Hayden, everyone wants to know what it's like in the off time for a Ranger. When you're not training or fighting robots, what do you guys do?"

"Well, we have a hippo game," Hayden smirked, knowing that when her family would watch this interview at home they would all cheer.

"A hippo game? Hungry, hungry, hippos?"

"That's the one!" Hayden nodded enthusiastically, "It's the only game that seems to be able to entertain a group of 16-20 year old kids. Who knew the game where you punch a hippo in the ass and force it to eat as much as it possibly can would be so fun."

"Sounds like it would entertain me," Hellen chuckled, as she began mimicking the game. Her fist slammed down repeatedly into the palm of her hand while her mouth opened and closed, like that of a hippo.

Hayden laughed, "I'm the reigning champ. But our game in broken now."

"Aw, why?" Hellen frowned.

"Well, you see, my cousin Dani, she gets very jealous, so she flushed the food balls down the toilet... not our hippos eat spit balls because mom refuses to buy a new game."

Hellen pouted playfully and the interview continued. Hayden couldn't believe she was enjoying it so much. All sorts of questions came out, such as questions about her powers, Karly the psychotic cat, and questions about raising a baby while saving the world. Hayden felt the freedom to answer honestly (especially after learning her Aunt Tori told the world about the Secret Academies. Boy was she going to get an earful when Hayden next saw her), and tried to make her answers as entertaining as possible.

She was disappointed when the interview came to an end.

-----RPM-----

Meanwhile, back at the Marks' house, Daniela found her father on the couch, in his uniform. He was watching the news before leaving for work, like he always did.

Dani stepped over to his nervously, "Dad, can I talk to you?"

"What is it, kiddo?" David asked, turning off the TV. After learning of her disappearance, then reappearance, he was very concerned about her, and he had been waiting for this chance to talk.

"Look, dad... I know you want to be a paramedic..."

"How do you know that?" David frowned, "I've only discussed this with your mother."

Dani continued, "I know you want to come home and spend more time with the family, but you can't."

"Why not?" David asked, "Dani, sweetheart, is something wrong? Do you not want me at home?"

"No, not at all. I would love it if you didn't have to work so much..."

"Dan, if I demote myself, I'll have more time for you and your mother. Why don't you want me to..."

"I just... I don't want you driving around all day... something could happen to you," Dani said. She knew her mother (in the future) told her to lie, but she couldn't bring herself to. She did speak the truth, she just didn't speak the whole truth.

"Nothing's going to happen to me," David smiled, patting the spot on the couch beside him, "What makes you think that?"

"Dad, you trust me, right?"

"As much as a father can trust his sixteen year old daughter," David chuckled, "Greg on the other hand..."

"Ew, no dad, I mean in general."

"Of course I do," David nodded.

"Then... trust me when I tell you not to become a paramedic... why not stay in the hospital, but work less hours?"

"I can't do that," David frowned, "I've got to be there every day. With radiation levels still as high as they are, a lot of people are getting sick, or getting powers. There still aren't enough people qualified..."

"What about Aunt Leanne?" Dani asked, "She's got a Ph.D in everything, right? Can't she take over?"

David thought for a moment, "I guess she could... Leanne would make a great head doctor... and Kaylee and Kira are working on opening the borders now that Venjix is gone. But sweetie, I can't ask Leanne to pull herself away from her family."

"No... no," Dani said, "Aunt Leah will be fine. Believe me; she can create the 25th hour. I don't know how, but she'll balance work and family perfectly."

David patted his daughter on the leg, "What's wrong, Dani, you seem really anxious."

"I'll be fine dad, as long as you don't take the paramedic job," Dani said, "Promise me you'll talk to Aunt Leah about this! You can ever share Head Doctor! That would work, right?"

David nodded, kissing Dani on the forehead, "I'll talk to her tomorrow night, I promise. But calm down, Dani. You're acting like this decision means life or death."

Dani sighed, "Oh, I wish you knew."

David frowned before checking his watch. He saw it was time to go. He kissed Dani once more before grabbing his bags.

"I've got to head to the hospital now," he told her, "I'll be gone until tomorrow morning. When I get back I'll rest, then I'll talk with your aunt and we'll work something out."

"I don't care what it is, as long as you don't become a paramedic," Dani smiled. She watched as he father walked to the door before remembering Tenaya.

"Wait, dad! One more thing... mind if we bring Tenaya and Hayden down to the hospital tonight?" she smirked.

"Where are you going with this?" David asked, "You know Dawn's in critical..."

"Hayden's wound is gone," Dani grinned, "It disappeared last night. Hayden decided to let her body work out any remaining radiation before healing Tenaya."

David nodded, "Bring them by then. The sooner the better. I'll let the other doctors know you're coming and I'll let them know it's urgent."

Dani smiled, "I'll tell Uncle Dustin and Sierra."

David nodded and left for work, leaving Dani alone in her house. She leaned back on the couch and sighed contently.

Her father wasn't going to be a paramedic and he was going to live his life like he should. Hayden and the family weren't broken up, and Hayden's injury healed, meaning Tenaya was going to live. Everything was working out perfectly. All that stood in the way for the family was Summer's warning.

Dani had taken it lightly, but it was still on her mind. Seeing as her family was in NewTech, Summer knew a lot about how the city ran, and Dani used to live in NewTech before, so she could back up Summer's ideas on government.

Corinth city was run by the military, and though Kaylee was on top, the military still had a big say in how the city was going to functions. Things, such as doctor's visits and emergency medical procedures were done by appointment or importance.

However, over in NewTech, importance still took priority (such as a person needing to go into surgery would be accepted long before the man with the broken thumb), but appointments were rarely needed. Doctors worked longer hours because Leanne was aware that sickness didn't follow schedules and she wanted to be sure that when a citizen in NewTech got sick, they could see a doctor without have to make an appointment.

There was a downside to Leanne's system though. Line up in the waiting room would be long. Everyone would be served when their time came, but one could be waiting for hours before the doctor was ready for you, whereas in Corinth, when you made you appointment and showed up on time, the most you could be waiting was five minutes. In emergency situations that didn't require the hospital, but that couldn't wait, there would be a doctor standing by.

That's where David came in. He was the doctor who dealt with genetic mutations, but he was also the doctor who would check up on patients who came down with a sudden fever.

What was worrisome about Leanne taking over was the system change. If Leanne wanted to make Corinth's system like the one she set up in NewTech, she would have full power to do so. The people in Corinth might not like that, seeing as now they're going to have to wait longer for check-ups that used to take a few simple minutes.

Dani thought about it a little more before waving it off.

"I'm sure everything's going to work out," she told herself. "As long as dad's okay, that's all that matters.


	44. Family

Hayden was in her dressing room right after her interview, putting away her stuff in her bag as she prepared to leave. Suddenly her door opened and in walked Flynn. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

"How did it go?" he asked her.

Hayden smirked, kissing him, "It went well. I've got to stop by Aunt Tori's house and smack her upside the head, but everything went smoothly."

"I'm not going to ask," Flynn laughed, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I did," Hayden nodded. She grabbed her bag, placing the strap over her shoulder as she walked out with her boyfriend, "You know I have my car, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Flynn said, "Ronny, Dustin and Sierra dropped me off here while they get Tenaya ready at the hospital."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here," Hayden smirked, "Not that I'm complaining."

"I would hope not," Flynn laughed, "I figured after the appointment, you're going to be exhausted so I was going to volunteer to take the wheel."

Hayden shrugged, "Sounds good to me."

"Great," Flynn smirked. He took the bag from Hayden and her hand in his as they walked out of the set and into the parking lot.

-----RPM-----

After her loss in the future to the Angel, T15 had been working on her newest attack bot. She decided to make this one look a little more human. After all, why create a monster that would be recognisable immediately. That must have been Venjix' mistake. After all, in Corinth and NewTech knew there was a bot inside the city, they would immediately send the Rangers out to fight him.

However, if they weren't aware there was a bot inside the city, or even any new survivors, they wouldn't have reason to worry.

She looked over at her creation. The attack bot was made to look like the everyday teenage boy, with shaggy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. T15 had to admit, if she weren't a robot and could feel human emotions, she definitely would have had feelings for her creation.

She smirked, eyeing the boy once more, "I just might make sure you stay around a little longer," she said.

She went to the main computer and downloaded information into a small chip. She hesitated before placing the chip inside her bot. The hardware contained the codes for a survival instinct, just like Tenaya 7 had, and just like she had. It meant that when the going got tough, the bots got going until they had a new plan of attack, but it also meant it would be harder to destroy this one if she needed to break him down to use for parts.

She decided to insert the chip. After all, this bot was nowhere near as intelligent as she was and he was programmed to do everything she said. If she needed to overpower him to force him to stand down, she could easily do so.

She placed the chip in a slot on his neck, allowing the information to be programmed into his memory as she opened his eyelids. She looked inside as the blue in his eyes spun round and round. This was what he was programmed to do. His eyes were hypnotic, and any girl who looked into them would instantly fall prey to his charm (the reason he was so well designed).

T15 turned back to her computer and brought up scans of the female Rangers. If she was going to capture a girl, she would prefer if she was a Ranger, or at least connected, and not just some random girl from the streets. These scans would allow T15 to run over the female Rangers and figure out who would be easiest.

The Pink Ranger had the ability to heal. Her brain might flush out the spell before too long; meaning the attempts to win her over would be futile.

The Silver Ranger ran way too fast for anyone to see. Her brain may not have time to process the hypnosis because to her, the eyes would be moving so slowly.

The Yellow Ranger seemed to be the only choice.

T15 programmed her target into her creation before bringing him online and unleashing him into the city, where he would sneak his way past security while they were opening the doors between Corinth and NewTech. Then, he would find the Yellow Ranger and make her his.

-----RPM-----

David had hung up the phone after receiving the call from Ronny and quickly paged all the doctors he needed to the OR room where Tenaya's healing process would be done. He was surprised when the leading doctor was Leanne.

"What are you doing in my part of the world?" he asked, tapping her on the shoulder to catch her attention. Leanne raised her eyebrows with a smirk.

"Oh, well, if you don't want me here I guess I should just go..." Leanne turned to leave but David grabbed her arm.

"You know I'm just kidding," he laughed, "I mean, I thought you would still be over in NewTech."

"I'm supposed to be," Leanne nodded, "But I thought it best to come check out this hospital for a while."

"Do you work here now?" David asked. Leanne pulled out some papers, signed by Kaylee.

"If you sign this and hire me here I can," she grinned, "Kaylee's agreed to it already. She said something about bringing NewTech and Corinth together to make one city... and then something in Kaylee speak, I've lost my touch over the years... and then I think I heard her say something about the two hospitals working together."

"This is working out really well for me," David smirked, "Right before coming here Dani and I had a talk."

"I'm not giving her another birds and bees talk," Leanne frowned, "I don't care how weird it is, you're a doctor and I'm not her mother!"

"Not that," David sighed, "I think Dani's past that stage... oh god..."

Leanne rolled her eyes, tapping David gently on the cheek to bring him back to reality. David nodded and continued.

"Look, Leanne, I've been spending a lot of time in this place," he sighed, "between helping the Rangers and helping the city I've barely got time for my family. I was thinking about becoming a paramedic so I could still help people, but not need to work the many hours I do now. But this morning Dani told me she didn't like the idea."

"She doesn't want you at home more?" Leanne frowned, "That's a little odd. She loves you."

"I know," David nodded, "And what's stranger is that I've only told Ronny of my demotion plans. How Dani found out... I haven't got a clue."

"So, why are you telling me about this?" Leanne asked.

"I was wondering if maybe you wouldn't mind taking over to Corinth and NewTech."

Leanne looked at her fellow doctor in shock.

"You want me to lead both hospitals?" she frowned, "So you can spend more time with your family?"

"You can saw no if you want, and I'll talk things over with Dani... but I promised her I would ask. She seemed really... worried about this."

Leanne's eyes rolled up, meaning she was thinking hard about this.

"I guess I could," Leanne nodded, "Maybe if I switch a few shifts around for people back home and around here..."

"If you take this, we could work together," David said, "If Kaylee's planning on joining the hospitals they'll only need one of us working and the other on standby... we would work a day on, a day off so neither feels crowded."

"I could work with that," Leanne nodded, "You know what, I'll do it."

"Thank you!" David exclaimed joyfully, hugging the red head, "I so owe you for this."

"Don't mention it," Leanne laughed, "You're family. And I love little Dani. I would hate to see her so upset about this."

David chuckled, "Great..."

"But you guys do owe me one hell of a good Christmas present," Leanne teased, "I'm thinking... maybe a new house..."

"You'll like what we give you," David smirked.

"Fine..."

The conversation had to end when nurses rushed Tenaya's body (if you could call it that) past the two head doctors and into the special OR room. Ronny, Dustin and Sierra followed, but Leanne held her up hand.

"Sorry, you guys are going to have to stay back for this," she said, "Only doctors and patients in there."

"How's this going to work?" Sierra asked.

"Well take some blood from Hayden and slowly inject it into Dawn," David explained, "From there we'll monitor how her body's healing and we'll keep an eye on Hayden."

"How much blood are you going to take from her?" Dustin asked. He was concerned about his niece, but that still couldn't override his fear for his daughter. He knew a great amount of blood would be taken, and if the doctors (in this case Leanne and David) took too much Hayden could die.

"That's why we'll monitor her," Leanne said, "During the transfusion, if Hayden's showing any signs of weakness we'll stop the procedure and allow her time to rest."

"This may take a few hours," David added. He handed a special card to Ronny, "Feel free to use this pass in the cafeteria if any of you get hungry."

Hayden walked into the hallway with Flynn and she saw Leanne and David standing in front of her OR room. Through the small windows she could see nurses preparing Tenaya's body for the transfusion that would be happening.

Dustin wrapped his arms around her and smiled, "Thank you for doing this for you cousin, baby girl."

"Yes, thank you so much," Sierra beamed, hugging her niece. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"It's fine," Hayden nodded, "I would do it for any other cousin."

"To be honest... I was afraid you wouldn't go through with it," Sierra sighed, "I know you hated Dawn and I thought..."

Hayden looked to her Aunt, "Like I said, Dawn's my cousin. If I would do it for Summer or Dani or Mike, I would do it to her. We both agreed to try out this new relationship and there's no way that'll happen without her."

Sierra's smile brightened when she heard Hayden use her daughter's real name. She had been told by Dawn that Hayden was only going to use it once she was able to get over their rocky relationship. To hear Hayden using it now meant that she was more than ready to accept her cousin into her life.

"Thank you, Hayden," Sierra whispered, wiping a tear from her eye.

Dustin squeezed his baby girl, "If you start feeling anything unusual tell Leanne or Doc right away, got it," he told her.

"I know, dad," Hayden nodded, "Flynn got this talk from Dani who got it from Aunt Ronny."

Dustin smiled at his fellow yellow. Ronny smiled back.

"I'm prepared."

Leanne looked into the room, seeing the nurses were getting ready to leave so she and David could begin. She nudged her co-worker and gently took Hayden.

"C'mon," she smiled, "We're ready."

-----RPM-----

Back at the garage, everything was running smoothly. Dr. K was still scanning the city for any signs of T15 while Kaylee, the twins and the Rangers took a well deserved day off.

Mike was waiting by the door, tapping his foot impatiently and checking his watch every few seconds. Summer made her way over to him, trailing Dillon and Engel behind her.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked the older boy while Dillon played with Engel. Samantha had taken off somewhere with Scott, leaving the black and yellow couple to watch the baby.

"Waiting," Mike smirked, "We have a day off."

"No, really?" Dillon replied sarcastically, looking at the D-Green Ranger.

"Planning anything special for today?" Summer asked, trying to dig in deeper.

"Vanessa and I are really getting serious," Mike grinned.

"Vanessa?" Summer frowned as she tried to recall the name, "Wait... I know her..."

"My girlfriend," Mike laughed, "I invited her over to introduce her to you guys. Things are really starting to get serious."

"So, things are finally starting to go well, and you plan on introducing her to this... family?" Dillon frowned as Summer nudged him in the ribs. Dillon groaned before eyeing the infant.

"Don't do that when I'm holding her," he sighed.

Mike took his daughter from the Black Ranger and cradled her. Dillon looked at the scene for a moment before snickering.

"How are you going to explain her to this serious girlfriend of yours?" he asked, "Oh, hi, Vanessa, have you met my daughter? Don't worry, I'm not cheating on you, this is actually my great grandmother reborn and my cousin and I are her parents."

Mike frowned, "This will be a little weird... but Vanessa's a ninja, that's how we met. She'll understand the Spirits and their reincarnation cycles."

Dillon breathed in deeply as he turned away, "Oh, so she's a weirdo to... she'll fit right in."

"Dillon!" Summer growled, slapping him in the back. Summer then looked to Mike, "I can't wait to meet her."

"Can you mussel him for me?" Mike frowned, "I don't want Vanessa's first impression of us to be... him."

"He won't say anything stupid, right Dillon," Summer pressed, looking at Dillon with her eyes, the ones Dillon couldn't say no to, because if he did she would do something horrible.

"Right..." Dillon sighed. From the corner of his eye he saw Mike snap an imaginary whip.

Suddenly a car pulled into the driveway before a woman walked out. Mike handed Engel to Summer before running over to greet Vanessa. Summer giggled happily when she saw them kiss passionately, while Dillon tried not to gag. He was a romantic at heart, when it came to Summer, but when he saw other people going all out... it was weird. Especially Mike.

The D-Green Ranger brought Vanessa over to Summer, Engel and Dillon with a huge smile on his face.

"Vanessa, I would like you to meet my cousin, Summer, her boyfriend, Dillon, and my little girl, Engel," he said.

Vanessa's eyebrows shot up as she looked at the baby in Summer's arms. She couldn't be over a year old.

"Your little girl?"

"Don't worry," Dillon smirked, "It's his grandmother..."

"DILLON!" Summer snapped, quickly turning and slapping Dillon in the stomach, "I thought we agreed you would shut up."

"Oh, come on! It had to be said!" Dillon frowned.

While Summer glared at her boyfriend, Mike quickly explained things to Vanessa. She already had a basic knowledge of the Pai Zhuq and its legendary masters, so she believed Mike when he told her Engel was his grandmother reborn and he and Samantha decided to care for her. He also assured her that if the child freaked her out, she didn't have to commit to her.

Vanessa, however, reached over, taking Engel from her Aunt and she smiled.

"Don't worry, Mike," she beamed, "I love kids. I'm sure Engel's no exception."

Engel giggled playfully while grabbing Vanessa's hair in her hand. Summer reacted quickly but taking Engel's hand and gently pulling it away.

"Don't do that to the nice lady," she scolded the child, "At least wait until you know her a little better."

Mike looked to Vanessa, "When Engel pulls on your hair it means she likes you," he explained, "But she pulls really hard."

"Well, then, thanks I guess," Vanessa laughed. She handed Engel back to Summer and turned to Mike. "Where's the rest of your family?"

"Somewhere," Mike answered, "But you'll meet Hayden in a couple of hours. She's a little busy right now."

"Where is she?" Vanessa frowned.

Mike looked at her for a moment, "Well... she's busy bringing her other cousin back to life... you see, Tenaya's kinda... only half Tenaya now and..."

Vanessa was giving Mike odd stares, so he decided not to explain. Instead, he was going to stay simple.

"She's helping out the other side of her family," he said, "Believe me, it'll take a while before you fully understand everything."

"OHH, is that the little girlfriend your mom told me about!" Kaylee called, skipping down the stairs as she spotted Vanessa. "Aw, that's so cute! My little Mikey has a girlfriend! Can I poke her?"

"Aunt K!" Mike whined, turning red. Kaylee giggled.

"Aw, he's embarrassed," Kaylee laughed, "I'm doing my job so well!"

"Did she just ask to poke me?" Vanessa whispered to Summer and Dillon.

Dillon nodded, "You're on a TV show. It's called meet the psychos."

"Dillon!" Summer frowned, nudging him again, "Seriously, stop it!"

Mike leaned into his girlfriend and sighed, "That's my aunt Kaylee. If you can get used to her, you can get used to the rest of my family."

Vanessa laughed and turned to her boyfriend's aunt, "I'm Vanessa."

"I'm Kaylee, Mikey's Aunt," Kaylee smirked. "I'm so excited for this little guy. One minute I'm babysitting the three terrors and pregnant with my own baby, and the next little Mike's got a girlfriend! It feels like just yesterday he was pooping in his diapers and..."

"Aunt K!" Mike screamed, pulling Vanessa away. Kaylee's jaw dropped as she pretended to be hurt.

"I'm just doing my job," Kaylee said. She pulled out her handlheld computer, showing Mike and e-mail from his mom.

_I won't be able to meet Vanessa until later tonight when Mike stops by. Do me a favour and embarrass him for me._

_Love you, brat._

_Tori._

"Oh god," Mike sighed, resting his head on Vanessa's shoulder, "This was such a bad idea."

"I told you," Dillon smirked.

"I like it," Vanessa grinned, "Your family seems close."

"Oh, so close," Mike grabbed Vanessa's hand, hoping to find another group of the family who wouldn't be so... Kaylee.

Kaylee turned to Summer and Dillon and clapped her hands, "Success."

"Did Aunt Tori really send that e-mail?" Summer asked.

"Well... she did tell me to be an Aunt," Kaylee laughed slowly, "So..."

"Aunt K! Why do you always have to tease Mike?" Summer laughed.

"It's fun! He's my little boy! I've got to make sure he's taken care of. One day, I won't be there to feed him and tuck him in and..."

"What about Aunt Tori?"

"Who?"

Summer rolled her eyes as she shoved her Aunt gently, "You're insane."

"No, I'm smart. Mike needs to find a girl who can take care of him. I've got to make sure the girl he chooses can put up with us."

"See," Dillon grinned, motioning to Kaylee as he looked at Summer, "I was right! Your family is insane."

"Exactly," Kaylee nodded, "I don't want that blonde bitch playing with his heart... but she seems nice... I like her."

"Blonde bitch... like her? I'll never understand you," Summer sighed.


	45. Can You Change Fate?

After taking Vanessa around the garage to introduce her to the Boom-Twins, Dr. K and the rest of the Rangers, Mike was going to take his girlfriend out to lunch so she wouldn't feel overwhelmed by the insanity he called home.

Of course, as soon as he unlocked his car, Summer was behind him with a big smirk, tapping on his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"We're going out to lunch," Vanessa smiled while Mike turned to glare at his cousin. "Would you like to join us?"

Mike tried to motion for Summer to decline the offer, but the younger girl grinned madly.

"Of course! I would love to join you!" she said, waving Dillon over. The Black Ranger grabbed Engel's hand, taking it easy as they walked over. "I'm sure you won't mind, right Mike?"

"Of course not..." Mike grumbled. Engel made it to his feet and he picked her up, gently placing her in her car seat. Vanessa hopped into the passenger seat, and Dillon took his spot in the back, on the right. Summer was waiting for Mike to get the car seat and Engel set up in the middle so she could squeeze in. When he pulled himself out of the car he turned to her.

"Couldn't you have said no?" he asked her.

Summer shook her head, "No. This is the first time I meet one of your girlfriends! You've met all my boyfriends and you tagged along sometimes."

"Only when I thought they were douche bags!" Mike added, "Not when you were madly in love with the guy of your dreams."

"Now I really should get to know her," Summer grinned, "And anyways, if you're going to take Engel with you, Dillon and I can be of service if she needs to be changed."

"But I could have left her here!" Mike grumbled.

"Dada!" Engel giggled, clapping her hands and kicking her feet. Mike looked at the little girl and he could feel her excitement at a car ride with her father. It was something she had never really done before.

"Why deprive that poor Angel of a car ride with her dada?" Summer asked sweetly. Mike sighed.

"Fine, you can tag along," he said, "But please, don't act all weird in front of Vanessa! I really, really, really..."

"Hey, I'm not the weird one," Summer laughed, pointing over her shoulder to Kaylee, who was making faces for Engel from the couches.

"Okay, that's true," Mike nodded, "But what about him?"

Mike pointed to Dillon, who seemed to be having the time of his life telling Vanessa a story. Mike couldn't exactly hear what the black Ranger was saying, but knowing Dillon, it wasn't good.

"I make no promises," Summer said, throwing her hands up in defence.

"Just... tighten the leash a bit more," Mike laughed. He opened the door for Summer to hop into the car. When she was in he closed it and got into the driver's seat.

"So, where are we going?" he asked everyone.

Engel began to babble as everyone looked to her. When she stopped Dillon nodded.

"Sounds good, but do they have steak?"

Engel's babbling started up again, and Vanessa smiled softly to Mike.

"She's adorable," she said, "You have to tell me her story."

"It's long and hard," Mike nodded, "But I'll be sure to let you in. It'll help with the whole _she's my daughter_ thing."

Engel's babbling stopped and she looked at Dillon. He nodded.

"I like it! I agree with the thing!"

"Dillon, she's not a thing!" Summer frowned.

"She's a baby, she's a grandma, she's human, she's not... she's a thing."

Summer rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

-----RPM-----

Mike took everyone to the diner on the other side of town, hoping no one else was going to decided to tag along or drop by like Summer and Dillon had done to him. He led them inside and they took their seat in a booth.

Summer and Vanessa squeeze into one seat while Dillon and Mike sit across from them in the other seat. Mike held Engel on his lap while the busboy got a highchair for her.

The busboy was a teenage boy, no older than Mike or Dillon. His brown hair was resting just under his blue cap, which really brought out the blue in his eyes. He was very well built and had no physical flaws. He was able to bring over the highchair for Engel and carry a basket full of dishes.

"Here you go," he smiled, "Your waitress should be here shortly."

"Thank you," Mike nodded, putting his daughter in her seat. As the busboy turned to leave, Mike called him, "Do you have any crayons or anything?"

"I... actually I have no idea," the boy said, "I just started here today. I moved over from NewTech last night. The waitress would definitely know though."

"Thanks," Mike smiled.

The busboy walked off and Vanessa leaned in to Summer, whispering softly so Mike or Dillon wouldn't hear.

"He was kind of cute," she smirked. Summer nodded.

"I can't deny that," she said, "But there's something funny about him."

"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked.

"He says he moved from NewTech yesterday but the borders weren't open to movers yesterday. That starts tomorrow."

"Maybe he already had a moving day before the end?" Vanessa frowned, "For the past couple of years people have been moving."

"Maybe," Summer nodded.

"So, Vanessa," Dillon started as the waitress walked by to pick up drink orders. Mike ordered for his friends, knowing what they liked best. Dillon took this time to question Vanessa, "How did you and our little Mikey boy meet?"

"In school," Vanessa smiled.

"What kind of school?" Dillon pressed. He was aware Vanessa was a ninja, just like Mike, but he wanted to see if she would give away secrets easily.

"Dillon, I already told you, we met at the Academy," Mike sighed. He looked to Vanessa, "Just ignore everything he's says. Dillon's the team psychopath."

"I thought that was Kaylee," Dillon frowned. He looked to Summer, "You'll back me up on this, right?"

"No... the psychopaths are Hayden and Dani," Summer said, "Do not let them have any sugar before Christmas."

"Oh, yeah, that's deadly," Mike nodded.

The conversation stopped when the waitress came by to take orders. Before the teens knew it, the food was served and Engel was getting her meal all over herself.

When the meal was done, Mike called the waitress for the check and then handed it over to Dillon.

"Pay up," he said.

"No," Dillon frowned. Mike slid the check closer and motioned to the wall behind Dillon.

"I'm not moving out of this booth until you pay..."

Dillon snapped his fingers as a flame appeared. He looked over at Mike with a smug smile.

"You know I would," he said.

Mike groaned loudly and reached for the check, but Vanessa quickly grabbed it and slammed down some money.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled, "I've got it covered."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked his girlfriend, "I could get it..."

"Positive," Vanessa nodded.

The busboy saw from the other side of the diner that the table with the three Power Rangers was about to leave. He quickly made his way over to grab the dishes.

"Here," he said, taking Summer's plate, "Let me get that for you."

Summer looked up at him to thank him, but her phone suddenly went off. Before she looked into his eyes, she grabbed her phone and saw the ID on the screen.

"It's Aunt Leah," she frowned, "I better take this."

Vanessa wiggled out of her seat to allow Summer to the back of the diner to take the call. The busboy's eyes followed Summer and began to spin hypnotically. He grabbed the rest of the plates and began to leave, almost walking into Vanessa, who was putting her jacket on. She pulled out of his way, looking into his eyes casually for a moment.

The busboy saw the reflection of his eyes in hers and realised she's fallen under his spell, not the Yellow Ranger. He growled under his breath. The plan failed. He couldn't get too many women under his spell if he wanted to stay under the radar.

He placed the dishes in his basket and walked over to the counter, just over where Summer was. At least he could try and hear some of her conversation before he went home to report to T15.

Vanessa watched the busboy with a smirk on her face before turning to Mike.

"Why don't you get the car started," she said, "I'll wait for Summer."

Mike shrugged as he pulled Engel out from her seat, "Sounds good. C'mon little piggy, we've got to take Engel to the car."

"Wait..." Dillon frowned, taking his jacket as he followed Mike out the door, "Who are you calling a piggy?"

When the boys were gone Vanessa whipped herself around, growling seductively at the busboy, who seemed to be eyeing Summer. She frowned.

"He's mine."

Over on the other side of the restaurant, the busboy was sorting through the dishes as he listened in on Summer's conversation.

"You're taking over the medical field... Oh, sharing... just sharing Corinth?" Summer asked the person on the other end. "Aunt Leah, that's a lot..."

The busboy smiled. He was well aware that the Aunt Leah Summer was talking with was Leanne Watanabe, leading Doctor in NewTech city and now, apparently co-leader for Corinth.

"Just be careful though," Summer smiled, getting ready to end the conversation, "Changing everything like that so suddenly might anger some people. Everyone here likes the system the way it is."

Anger people? The busboy smirked at these words. If people got angry, it was in their nature to revolt, and if he led this revolt... everyone would do as he wanted. Soon, he could control every citizen and take down the Rangers.

He dropped his dishes suddenly and left the diner. He needed to present his new mission to his master before he went through with it.

Rebel against Corinth's new doctor and whatever medical changes she was going to make. Rally up the people and take out their enemy. Then, they would help him with his.

Unknown to H-07, Vanessa was following him. She managed she sneak away from Summer and past Mike and Dillon unnoticed.

He was going to her hers.

-----RPM-----

Leanne hung up the phone in the operating room and looked over at Doc. He gave her a thumbs up, signalling Tenaya's stability. The red head looked over at Hayden.

The Pink Ranger was holding Tenaya's hand softly, watching as parts of her body grew back slowly. It was disgusting, and Leanne had come close to vomiting several times, but she found it sweet that after so many years of bickering, then years apart, followed by Tenaya working for Venjix, Hayden was willing to sit with Dawn and wait for her to feel better.

"C'mon, Dawn," she heard Hayden whisper.

Leanne could see the colour draining from Hayden's face though and quickly checked her vitals. With so much blood leaving her body at once, Hayden was at risk of death. It was Leanne's job to make sure nothing too serious happened to her niece.

Just as she opened up the files, Hayden fell off her stool. Fearing the worst, Leanne ran over to the pink Ranger and pulled the needle from her arm, stopping the transfusion.

"David, watch Tenaya!" she called as she tried to rouse Hayden.

David nodded. It wasn't his job to help Hayden. He was worried about the girl but he was sure Leanne would take care of her.

However, he was more concerned about what the sudden stop would do for Tenaya. He watched her, and her vitals carefully, afraid she might stop healing.

But, by miracle, Tenaya's body kept going. Her legs quickly grew back until her toes were done.

"I can't... it was enough," David smiled, "Leanne, there was still enough blood!"

"That's great," Leanne called as she cradled Hayden's limp form in her arms. The girl was still breathing, thankfully, but Leanne knew she had pushed herself too far, "But I need some help over here."

Doc ran over and grabbed Hayden in his arms. He carried her to the bed they made for after the transfusion and let her rest.

"She'll be fine with some sleep," David smiled.

Leanne nodded. She turned around so she was facing Tenaya and suddenly her eyes widened. She grabbed David's arm and began to pull.

"Turn around," she told him.

David did as he was told and gasped.

"What happened?" Tenaya asked, looking around as she rubbed the sore spot on her head, "This is so not heaven."

"Tenaya?" David grinned, moving over to the brunette, "You're alive."

"I am?" Tenaya frowned, patting herself down to make sure she was real, "What the hell! I was just dead!"

"It worked!" Leanne smiled.

"What worked?" Tenaya asked, looking around the room, "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," David explained, "The Rangers won the battle against Venjix but the radiation got into your systems. To save you, I had to take out all the hardware from your body."

Tenaya's face wrinkled in disgust, "You took me apart?"

Doc nodded, "I did," he answered, "Then, I bought some time until Hayden could give her blood to heal you. She had been poisoned as well and her body needed to flush it out."

Tenaya looked around David and saw her cousin resting on the bed.

"Hayden saved me?"

Leanne nodded, "Saved you and sat by your side. She even called you Dawn."

"She... she... but we agreed on Tenaya until she could move past her issues with Dawn..."

David shrugged, "I wouldn't question it," he said, "But you two better get some rest. I'll let your mother and uncle know you're okay."

David pushed Tenaya back down onto her bed so she was relaxed and he and Leanne left them alone. Tenaya, feeling perfectly fine, rolled over on her side and stared at her cousin. Hayden's eyes fluttered open and she smiled as she too rolled and saw Dawn.

"Hey," she whispered, "You're alive."

"You saved me," Tenaya nodded, "I can't believe you would do that."

Hayden frowned, "Why wouldn't I?" she asked, "You're my cousin."

"Yeah but... I'm Dawn."

Hayden shrugged, "I know, and I don't care. Just because we fought as kids, doesn't mean we can't be friends now. Hell, if Summer thinks your cool, I can get along with you as well."

"Friends?" Tenaya asked.

"Family," Hayden nodded.


	46. The Catalyst

Mike dropped Summer and Dillon off at the Ranger base quickly before returning back to the diner to look for Vanessa. Summer assured the worried D-Green Ranger that Vanessa wasn't inside, and Mike was positive she didn't walk out. He wanted to stay and wait for her, but Summer had told him she needed to get home to talk with her mother and Kaylee as soon as possible. Mike agreed reluctantly, leaving a message for Vanessa on her phone in case she had just gone to the washroom.

Now, Summer was at home with her Aunt, waiting for her mother to come over. Kira had already planned on dropping by to discuss what they were going to do with Summer's living arrangements now that NewTech and Corinth were open, but now she needed to be here for a bigger reason. Summer needed to tell them both of Leanne's promotion so they could inform the cities as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, over at the diner, Mike parked his car and ran in, looking around for Vanessa. He called her name a few times, but didn't get an answer. He groaned, taking a seat at the counter as an older woman washing dishes came over to him.

"You look beat, kid," she smiled, "Can I get you anything?"

"I'm looking for my girlfriend," Mike told her, "We were here about a half an hour ago."

The woman nodded, "I remember you," she said, "You were in here with two other Power Rangers and that blonde lady."

"Yeah, the non-Ranger blonde one was my girlfriend. Have you seen her anywhere?"

The woman nodded, "I saw her leave the diner with our new busboy."

"Are you sure?"

"Honey, I wouldn't be doing the dishes if the busboy was still here," the lady laughed, "He walked off without telling me where he was going. He's still got three hours left in his shift."

"She walked off with the busboy?" Mike frowned, "Why the hell would she do that?"

"I don't know, but he was kind of cute," the woman smirked, "If he were about twenty years older I might be a little jealous."

Mike glared at the woman, "Lady, you're really not helping my missing _girlfriend_ case."

"Whoops, sorry," the woman said, "I'll give you some direction to help you. She's not in here."

"Yeah, I got that when you said she left with the busboy," Mike grumbled. He got up from his seat and turned to the door, "Thanks anyways."

"Hope you find your lady," the woman smiled, "She's a lucky girl."

Mike left the diner and shivered slightly, "What a creepy old lady..."

The D-Green Ranger grabbed his phone again, checking for any messages before dialling Vanessa's number. He heard the ringing and waited for her to pick up, but she never did.

"What the hell," he groaned, shutting his phone and stuffing it back in his pocket, "Where are you?"

-----RPM-----

H-07 walked the empty halls of the Palace, finding his Master in the main room, preparing some upgrades for herself. He knelt down before her, getting her attention.

"Tenaya Fifteen, I'm ashamed to report that I have failed in my mission to get the Yellow Ranger," he said, lowering his head. T15 scowled, glaring at the creation with a look of hate. H-07 snapped his head up before she could speak, however, and smirked, "But..."

His hand motioned to the door as Vanessa walked in, still following H-07 like a puppy. Her irises were spinning slowly, indication her state of hypnosis to T15.

"She's not a Ranger," H-07 continued, "But I saw her sitting with the Rangers in a diner. She was getting along well with them, especially the Green one."

"Green, huh?" T15 smirked, "Which Green?"

"Dark," H-07 said.

T15 nodded, "Well, I guess you haven't failed me completely. I could maybe use her to get what I want..."

H-07 turned to Vanessa, "Forget your past life," he told her, "You will now obey me and my Master. Everyone else on this planet must be destroyed."

Vanessa nodded and bowed before her two masters. Tenaya grinned.

"I'm really enjoying this," she said, "I'll give you another chance, H-07. Do not fail me."

"I won't, Master," H-07 bowed, "I already have a plan in mind. I just need your approval."

"I'm listening."

"Corinth city is about to go through so major changes," H-07 started, "They're getting a new Head Doctor who plans on bringing in her different styles of business into the medical field. I overheard the Yellow Ranger discussing these matters with her, and the Yellow Ranger seems positive the people of Corinth aren't going to like it."

"Where are you going with this?" T15 frowned, "So the people are unhappy with their medical plan..."

"If they rebel against Aunt Leah, who will stand against the entire city?"

"Aunt Leah?"

"Yeah, the Yellow Ranger called her Aunt Leah," H-07 smirked, "With the information on human relations that you've giving me, I believe it's safe to assume that the Rangers would stand by their Aunt if the city were to rebel against her."

"You plan on putting the city against the Rangers?" T15 said, "I like it."

H-07 walked to the mainframe computer, opening a containment chamber where a handgun rested. He took it gingerly and grinned as his fingers traced the weapon but tossing it to Vanessa.

"It's going to be a rebellion like you've never seen before," he assured his master. "And the one who starts it all won't be us."

H-07 pointed to Vanessa. The girl held the gun in her hands tight. She still had yet to say a word. T15 approached her with a grin on her face.

"She'll pull the trigger?" she asked, "You're going to have a citizen do our dirty work?"

"What better way to divide the Rangers and the city then create that rift. Now, if you'll excuse us, Master, I've got to get the cities riled up."

Tenaya Fifteen waved her hand, dismissing H-07 and Vanessa.

-----RPM-----

After a long rest, Hayden opened her eyes finding the white ceiling above her. She smiled, remembering why she wasn't in her own bed or even in her own room.

She could hear Dawn moving about and turned her head. Dawn heard the small noise from the movement and beamed.

"You're awake!"

"So are you!" Hayden laughed.

"I didn't go back to sleep," Dawn moved closer to Hayden's bed as the Pink Ranger sat up and leaned her back against the wall, letting her feet dangle from the side of the bed, "I've been dead for..."

"A long time," Hayden smirked.

"Exactly."

Hayden took a deep breath as she looked at her cousin. She noticed Dawn was still wearing the same old clothes: old, torn jeans and a worn out shirt. When she had left Venjix' army and joined the Rangers, she ditched the cat suit, but no one had anything for her to wear. She was left with what she had on now, and a few extra pairs of jeans and shirts, in the same condition.

Hayden looked to the bag she brought with her, in case she was going to be here for a while. She had packed Zwop, her Pink Bear from when she was a baby, a change of clothes and a small handheld game (one she could play with only one hand, seeing as the needle for the blood transfusion was going to be in one of her arms, keeping her from using it too much).

She grabbed the change of clothes, knowing she wasn't going to need it, and tossed it to her cousin.

"Here, why don't you wear these until we can get you your own clothes," she smiled. Dawn caught the outfit and looked at it.

"Isn't it yours?" she asked as she gazed at the pink shirt and the jeans (with no unnecessary holes or tears), "Won't you need to change?"

"Naw," Hayden shook her head with a smile, "I brought that in case I was going to be here for another day. I shouldn't be too bad if I go home with what I have on."

"Are you sure..."

"Yes," Hayden laughed, turning around to give Dawn some privacy, "Don't make me dress you."

"Alright, alright..."

"Then I'll take you home," Hayden smiled.

-----RPM-----

David had decided to deliver the news to Dustin, Ronny and Sierra so Leanne could get started on her job as Co-Leader of Medical Practice in Corinth city. The first thing she wanted to do was make a few small changes to see how Corinth would react. If they reacted positively, she could suggest some of her bigger plans.

She truly believed the way things were running in NewTech worked. Not many people did get sick and needed a doctor to tell them to stay in bed, but there was a great deal of people who needed emergency care.

That was the reason she didn't accept many appointments. It was come as you go. First come, first serve, unless severe.

And the population of NewTech was quite small compared to the staff in the hospital that they were ready to handle all the patients.

Corinth was almost the same. It was a concentrated population, making it seem like so much more, but with the number of doctors available, there should be no problem.

David had already agreed to it. He knew how it could have been inconvenient for some to fall sick, call the doctor and schedule an appointment for the closest date (sometimes that was a week or so away), then show up on that day and feel fine. More times than not David would get a patient who would say: "Well, I was feeling sick and achy, but in the past couple of days I've been feeling much better."

Leanne's way did make sense. So, he signed the deal to make that one change.

Now, she was sending out the message to the people. It was almost six o'clock, so her rule would end up on the news for the night. Everyone would hear it.

She just hoped they agreed.

-----RPM-----

Night was falling over Corinth by now, but Mike was still outside searching for Vanessa. He had gotten a few messages from Hayden about Dawn coming home and a few messages from Summer, asking if he had found Vanessa yet.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, hiding his phone, as he wandered the streets. He felt guilty for leaving Vanessa behind. Maybe she thought he left her and she ran off with the first boy she could find, devastated. Maybe this busboy played with her heart and taken her home. What if he loved her then dumped her?

Was Vanessa okay?

Mike didn't know. He couldn't find her. She wasn't picking up her phone or replying to his messages.

He sighed deeply as he walked by the large television screen, playing the news so those away from their homes could hear it. He barely caught the end of the information updates as Leanne's new law was passed.

"That bitch!" someone in the crowd yelled, pointing to a picture of Leanne on the screen, "Who the hell is she?"

"A highly trained and very experienced Doctor," Mike explained, not bothering to look at the person yelling. "She's NewTech city's head doctor."

"Well, what the hell is she doing here?" the person screamed, "What makes her think she perfectly qualified to work on humans if she comes from NewTech! That place is crawling with aliens and mutants. She wouldn't know the first thing about helping us!"

Mike didn't bother to continue arguing. He took a long sigh and walked away. Little did he know that he had given H-07 a chance to stand up in front of the crowd to voice his thoughts. H-07's eyes would spin, in the opposite direction from his normal, as the entire population fell into a semi-trance.

Mike had his back to H-07. He never saw him or Vanessa by his side. He simply walked back home where his family would be.

-----RPM-----

Kira sat down at the breakfast table, along with Kaylee and Summer. They had discussed Leanne's promotion, mostly just to be sure they had all the information straight. It wasn't their call to make, but if they did choose to go against their older sister earning more money and saving more lives, then they could speak up.

However, they decided to let it be.

Now they had another problem on their hands. With NewTech and Corinth finally open, Summer could go home. But her job as a Ranger was ongoing, and she needed to be nearby for the team. NewTech wasn't all that far, but it wasn't especially close either.

"What are we going to do with her?" Kira asked, taking her daughter's hand. Kaylee gasped, wrapping her arms around her niece, pulling her away from her mother.

"No stealing my daughter. I love her, and you don't!" Kaylee stuck out her tongue as she squeezed Summer lovingly.

"Aunt Kaylee..." Summer laughed.

"Kayl, she's my daughter," Kira smiled, "And I do love her. You know that."

Kira was aware that Kaylee was only joking (well... she was kind of joking). Since the day the kids were born, Kaylee had fallen in love with them. Every one of her nieces and nephews had gotten the _mommy doesn't love you, but I always will_ speech several times over the years. Though it was cute to watch Kaylee bonding with the kids, it was also comforting for the new mothers. Before Hayden was born, when Kaylee would tell the kids she loved them, Kira and Tori knew they always had someone to call in case the duties of motherhood became too much. After Hayden was born, it was comfort in the sense that Kaylee was basically experience on-call. Any problems any of her sisters were having with their newborn, Kaylee would have overcome already.

This was why Kira trusted her daughter with Kaylee when she moved to NewTech and almost cut herself out of Summer's life completely. She knew Kaylee would take good care of her little girl. And, as much as Kaylee claimed she loved the kids more than their parents, she was also one of the best at convincing the kids that their parents did, in fact, adore them.

Kira knew Summer would be safe and loved while in Kaylee's care, and she knew Summer wouldn't forget that her parents loved her.

Summer smiled softly to her mother, "I think I should stay here for a little while," she said, "The team still needs me, and it would be easier if I was here with them if T15 attacked."

Kira sighed, a little disappointed Summer wasn't coming home, "Are you sure, kiddo?"

Summer nodded, turning to her Aunt for a moment. She could read Kaylee's expression perfectly right now, and she knew Kaylee's expression meant that it was her choice.

"I'm sure. I'll come home and visit though," Summer leaned over and hugged her mother. "I love you and dad and Sammy."

"We all love you too," Kira smiled.

Kaylee threw her hands up in the air, "Yes! One niece down! I've just got a lot more to go before they're mine! All mine!"

Kira gasped playfully, shoving Kaylee and almost knocking her off the chair. Kaylee frowned at her older sister, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I wouldn't be mean to me if I were you," she said, "I'm the one taking care of your daughter right now... actually..."

Kaylee turned to Summer, "Mind leaving your mother and I alone for a minute? We have to talk about something."

Summer nodded, getting out of her seat. Mike walked into the garage at that moment with a very upset look. Summer quickly made her way over to him, interlacing her arm in his and taking him to the laundry room so he could tell her what was bugging her.

Kira looked to Kaylee with a smile, "They've grown close."

"They never really hated each other," Kaylee nodded, "They just annoy each other. Summer's really good at comforting Mike though. Every time he's down I see her by his side. It's really cute."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Kira asked.

Kaylee looked at the older girl nervously, "You know sex..."

"Kaylee..."

"DON'T KILL ME!" Kaylee screamed, putting her hands in front of her face protectively, "I'm so sorry! Don't hurt me!"

"Kayl," Kira let out a small laugh, but couldn't mask the fear in her voice, "Where are you going with this?"

"Look, Kir, before the Venjix battle, Summer and Dillon had a little pregnancy scare..."

"WHAT!" Kira yelled, jumping to her feet and glaring down at her sister, "Kaylee, you little..."

"Samantha's already talked with them about unprotected sex and they've learned their lesson, I swear!"

"You let them... Kaylee Ann...!"

"Kira, don't you think I tried everything to keep these Rangers from multiplying?" Kaylee asked, "I mean, I love them all, but I don't think I could handle two Dillons or two Summers..."

"Summer's an identical twin..."

"That's not what I mean," Kaylee sighed. She took Kira's hands in hers, "I'm sorry this happened, but... Summer's a big girl now. She's making her own decisions and it's time she make her own mistakes. I don't like this decision any more than you do, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"You should have watched them better," Kira grumbled.

"Kira, there's at least fifteen people in this house, sharing four different bedrooms: one for the guys, one for the girls, one for me, and one for Dr. K and the twins. You try finding a time to have sex with someone without that fear of _**someone**_ walking in on you. Those two found a moment when they were alone and they... you know."

"Oh, ew," Kira sighed, dropping her head on the table.

"Look, Kira, the reason I'm telling you is because you should know. If you want to talk to Summer about this, then feel free. She's your daughter and as much as I can do, I can't do it all."

"You did the right thing, I guess," Kira breathed, looking to her sister, "Sorry I overreacted."

"You didn't overreact," Kaylee chuckled, "When I pictured this talk in my head, I saw myself dead. You under reacted."

"Thanks for telling me. I know keeping an eye on teenagers isn't easy..."

"Especially Dillon," Kaylee grumbled, "He likes fucking with mine and Dustin's nieces..."

"What?"

"Long story," Kaylee giggled, "We're all over it. Summer and Tenaya are best friends now."

"I'll let it go," Kira said. "I won't ask."

-----RPM-----

The news was running on every TV screen in the city, but no one was paying attention. H-07 stood with a smile on his face as the city mumbled and whispered words amongst themselves.

"She wouldn't know how to care for us?"

"Who does she think she is? Coming in here and changing the system that works so well."

"What a bitch!"

H-07 spoke up again.

"And do you all know who's letting this new doctor play with our lives?" he asked, "Our leaders! They promise to protect us! Now their gambling with our lives so this... newbie can experiment with our health!"

Everyone looked to H-07 with eyes spinning counter-clockwise.

"YEAH!" they yelled.

"I say we show our leaders we're nothing to mess with! We hold all the power! We should have a say!"

"YEAH!"

"I'm taking this city," H-07 whispered as he hopped off his makeshift stage and into the crowd, "Then my Master and I can rule the world."


	47. The Fifth Shot

Leanne was gathering up her things in her office when David and Dani knocked on the door. David stayed behind to wait for Leanne to get off work because he wanted to talk things over with her about the promotion. Dani wanted to stay with her father as well to see how her plan to save him was working out.

"You ready, Leah?" David smiled.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Leanne nodded, "I just wanted to take home some of my stuff for Maddie. She's doing a project at school on possible future careers for NewTech residents."

"And she's going to discuss the medical field?" David asked, "I wish my daughter loved my career."

David patted Dani on the shoulder gently as he sighed, "But she's decided to take after her mother."

"Can we go home?" Dani laughed, "I've had a long day."

"A long day of convincing me you don't want me at home," David teased as he pulled his daughter in his arms, walking out of the office with her and Leanne.

"I'm only doing this because I love you, daddy," Dani said, looking up at her father with her beautiful hazel eyes.

Leanne laughed, "Aw, don't you hate when your kids call you mommy or daddy?" she asked, "It's so cute you can't ever get mad at them!"

David squeezed Daniela in his arms as they made their way into the streets for their walk back home.

"She's my baby girl!" he cooed, rocking her side to side, "I love her."

"Dad!" Dani whined, trying to pull away now that he was embarrassing, "Stop it! I'm sixteen."

"I love you," David laughed as he leaned down and kissed her cheek repeatedly. Dani squirmed away, running behind Leanne.

"Dad!" she giggled, "Seriously."

David recomposed himself, smirking to Leanne, "That's how you deal with your child when they pull the cute face," he said.

"Oh," Dani frowned, pointing to her father over Leanne's shoulder, "You're a sneak!"

"It's my job," David nodded, "I'm supposed to be a sneak in your life. It's to protect you."

"Well... stop," Dani said with a look of disgust, "It makes you sound creepy."

"It does," Leanne nodded, agreeing with her niece as the three cut through the park, making their trip to NewTech borders shorter. However, the park was crowded with people. They were mingling with one another, or so it seemed.

In the middle of the large group Vanessa and H-07 were standing. Vanessa was the first to spot Leanne and nudged her love interest. H-07 turned with a smile on his lips as his eyes fell on his prey. He started pacing, tapping a nearby tree once with his left hand, then turning around and running his nails down the bark with his right index and ring finger.

He walked back to Vanessa, taking her hand in his. He looked into her eyes. The plan was in motion.

H-07 dropped on one knee, causing a woman sitting on the bench to gasp. Vanessa laughed and though it was fake, no one could tell.

H-07 couldn't have planned it any better as he mocked an engagement.

"My love," he said, looking into Vanessa's eyes, spinning clockwise still, unlike everyone else in the park, whose eyes were rotating in the opposite direction, "Will you marry me?"

David saw the proposal from the corner of his eye and stopped in his tracks. He grabbed both Leanne and Dani's arms, holding them back so everyone could watch.

Vanessa's eyes moved to a figure hiding up in the trees. It was still only November, so the climate had yet to change to snow. The leaves were falling, but most were still on the trees. The sky was also dark, making it harder for the figure to be spotted.

He held the gun in his hand, pointing it to Leanne. He levelled it so the bullet would go right through her heart, killing her.

Vanessa turned back to H-07 and smiled, checking her peripheral vision to see if the intended target was where she was supposed to be. When her thoughts were confirmed, Vanessa nodded.

"I do," she said.

Everyone in the park cheered for H-07 and Vanessa as they two embraced, kissing passionately. Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air and Leanne fell back.

Dani's eyes widened as she realised what just happened. Her heart stopped.

Leanne screamed in agony, holding her chest, just a little ways off from her heart. Up in the tree the shooter saw he missed. With the city on his side, he knew it would be safe to fire another shot.

Again, Leanne was hit.

By now the people in the park were screaming, running for cover and trying to hide. Strategically, H-07 threw himself in front of Vanessa, as if protecting her.

David dropped beside Leanne, pulling her hand away to inspect the wounds. He hissed, seeing the two bullets both missed her heart.

The shooter saw this from his spot in the tree and grumbled, firing a third shot.

Dani screamed as her Aunt's body shook, hit for a third time.

"STOP IT!" she yelled to whoever was trying to take Leanne's life. "STOP!"

Another shot hit Leanne. Daniela couldn't take it. She glanced down at her father, trying desperately to keep Leanne alive while contacting the hospital. Already the ambulance and the military could be heard in the distance.

Over all the noise, Daniela heard something that really caught her attention. It was a click... like a gun reloading.

_The fifth shot,_ Dani thought, _it's going to kill her!_

She heard the clicking from above and looked up. Instantly her eyes caught a figure in the tree. Without wasting a second, Daniela's feet began kicking and time slowed for her as she moved at the speed of light. Up the tree, into the branches were the shooter had his gun aimed at her Aunt.

Daniela watched as his finger slowly pressed on the trigger. Even at this speed she didn't have much time. She did the only thing she could do, and that was turn the gun.

Her speed stopped as the shot was fired. Everyone heard the ring as the shooter pulled the trigger and the bullet was fired against himself. The shot went straight through his own heart and the man dropped dead. His weight fell forward, onto Daniela. His weight was too much and too sudden for her to support, and when he landed on her, they both fell out of the tree.

Daniela screamed as she hit the ground, realising what she had just done. She tried throwing the dead body off her own, but her desperate attempts prove futile.

Suddenly the dead weight was lifted off her before strong arms wrapped around her safely and a soothing voice hushed her.

"It's okay, Dan," Greg whispered gently, "It's okay."

"Everybody freeze!" a soldier yelled, holding his gun out, aiming it at the public, just like everyone else in his squad. The paramedics rushed through the military, making it to Leanne.

H-07 and Vanessa exchanged worried looks. They didn't account for the military to arrive. H-07 suddenly let go of Vanessa's hand and turned to run, get out of the city before he was found out.

Vanessa's heart shattered as he left her, and she cried out to him.

"WAIT!" she yelled.

H-07 stopped in his tracks, sighing deeply as soldiers came after him. With ease he slipped past them, grabbing Vanessa to keep her from ruining the plan.

The other Rangers arrived in the park, watching as H-07 and Vanessa tried to run. Mike couldn't miss the sight of his girlfriend and the busboy trying to leave. He quickly morphed and jumped in their path.

"Where the hell are you taking her?" he asked H-07.

"Mike, give it up," Vanessa said, walking up to her boyfriend and pressing her hand on his chest, "I don't love you anymore."

"You..."

H-07 shoved Mike, forcing the D-Green Ranger on the ground. He looked to the city.

"SCRAMBLE!" he yelled.

On command, everyone in the city did as they were told. They all began to run.

"WE SAID FREEZE!" Dillon yelled as his body ignited in flames. The grass caught fire and quickly spread everywhere.

"Ironic," Ziggy chuckled as Dillon's flames stopped, but the fire raged on, burning bushes and trees as it continued to spread.

"Power of Earth!" Hayden yelled, calling the dirt and pulling it from the ground. She lifted it above the flames before dropping it.

"Power of Water!" Mike screamed, summoning the water to help douse the flames.

Only a few little flickers of fire were left, but the citizens all stood in shock.

Kaylee and Kira stepped onto the park grounds. Kaylee pushed her way through her soldiers and glared at the scene before her. Leanne was being loaded into the ambulance, definitely in terrible condition.

"Hayden," Kaylee called, but Flynn's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Hayden's still recovering from the transfusion," he whispered. Kaylee nodded. She bent down, grabbing a smouldered rock and running it across her palm, drawing blood. A paramedic rushed over, collecting the blood he could from the city leader in a container. When Kaylee's hand healed, he dipped a needle into the container, pulling the blood. Quickly, he went back to Leanne, injecting her with Kaylee's blood to insure survival.

While this was going on, H-07 and Vanessa managed to slip out of sight by disappearing behind a tree.

Kaylee glared at the people in the park. She walked over to a man who stumbled over the park bench, landing on his back on the grass, just out of reach of the flames. She grabbed him by the collar, lifting him to his feet.

"What the hell happened here?" she asked him.

The man smirked, causing Kaylee to ram him into a scorched tree.

"What the hell happened?" she yelled, looking into his eyes. She saw they were spinning.

She dropped him and went to someone else. She grabbed a lady, bringing her to her feet.

"Do you know who caused this?" she asked the woman. Once again, the eyes were spinning.

Kaylee found Colonel Truman in the group of soldiers, "Take them all in," she told him. "There's something odd going on. I don't think they're at fault."

Colonel Truman nodded. He turned to his men, "You heard the Commander, bring them all in."

Kaylee walked back over to Kira, looking at her singing partner sadly. Kira's head flickered to David and Kaylee turned.

"Doc, what happened?"

"A massacre," David sighed, "For Leanne... there was an engagement then suddenly a gunshot. Leanne fell, hit... she was hit a total of four times out of five."

"Dani, are you okay?" Summer's voice said from the distance, causing Kaylee, Kira, and David to turn. The three spotted Dani, Summer and Greg. Greg had Daniela wrapped protectively in his arms while Summer held Dani's hand in hers, rubbing it gently. David noticed the blood sprayed on her face. Thinking the fifth shot ricochet to her, he bolted over, dropping in front of her.

"Dani, what happened?" he asked. Daniela pulled away from him, from everyone.

"No... it wasn't... this..."

"Dani, what happened?" David asked, coming in closer to his daughter, "Are you hurt?"

"Dad... I shot him," Dani whispered, "I turned the gun... he's dead because of me."

Over on the other side of the park, Mike laid in the grass (or what was left of it). Vanessa had once again disappeared, but this time he knew where she was.

With the busboy. His girlfriend dumped him after over a year together to runoff with some busboy she just met.

She was gone. Just like that, she walked out of his life.

Ziggy and Hayden knelt down beside him.

"Where is she?" Ziggy asked gently. Mike looked up at the darkened sky.

"Gone."

"Vanessa?" Hayden asked. Mike nodded. Hayden lay down beside him.

"I don't know her," she started, "But I'm pretty sure there's a reason for this."

"She left me," Mike breathed, "She doesn't love me anymore."

"That can't be true," Ziggy frowned, "I'm no expert, but love doesn't die suddenly... does it?"

Hayden shrugged, "Sometimes."

Dillon appeared over the three, holding his hand out to help Mike to his feet.

"She loved you too much," he said, "I can almost guarantee that busboy is bad news."

"You think?" Mike growled.

"I heard what she said," Dillon smirked, "She didn't mean it."

"How are you sure?" Mike asked, "She didn't look like she was kidding."

"Eyes are spinning," Flynn stated, "Kaylee's noticed it. Someone's controlling all these people."

"Don't give up on Vanessa," Dillon said, "We'll figure out who did this, and we'll get Vanessa back."

Back with Daniela, the poor Silver ranger was shaking as she curled up in Greg's arms. Her legs were tucked into her chest and she was sobbing loudly.

"Who did you kill, Dani?" Greg whispered. Dani didn't answer. Greg squeezed her gently as he went into her mind.

_A figure's finger slowly pressed on the trigger of a gun. Daniela's hand reached out and turned the gun. Blood splattered everywhere as the figure fell forward, knocking Dani out of the tree._

"Dani..." he breathed softly, "You did the right thing. You acted to protect."

"I killed him," Dani whispered, "He's dead... not alive."

"Who?" Summer asked, the question still unanswered for her and David. Dani once again began to sob.

"HIM!" she screamed, pointing a shaky hand to a figure lying dead on the ground, "I killed him!"

"You saved Leanne," Greg smiled, "Don't think nega..."

"I could have done something else..."

Summer's hand reached out, touching Dani's face gently. With a soft finger she wiped away some of the blood.

"It was you or him," she breathed, "You made the right choice. Corinth needs you. We don't need a murderer."

David's arms wrapped around Dani: one behind her back and one under her knees. He lifted her carefully. Dani wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his chest.

"Let's get you home," he whispered, "You'll be safe there, I promise."

As David took Dani away, Kira walked forward.

"We need someone to meet Leanne at the hospital," she said, "Cam and Maddie can't make it. Until we figure out what happened we're closing the borders. No one's leaving."

"Uncle Cam and Maddie can't... but Aunt Leah's hurt!" Summer frowned.

"I know," Kira sighed, "I hate it, but they'll get the chance to see her later. If we don't close the city now, we might never get the chance to figure out what happened."

"Who's going with Aunt Leah, then?" Summer asked. Kira ran her hand through her hair.

"I don't know..." she breathed, "Kaylee and I have to stay back."

"You're staying?" Summer asked, "Who's running NewTech?"

"Your father, I guess," Kira frowned.

There was a slight pause before both mother and daughter groaned.

"Oh shit..."

Summer shook her head, "I'll go with Aunt Leah, I guess."

"Sum, she's going to wake up, hysterical... are you sure..."

"Please, I've dealt with Hayden and Aunt Kaylee," Summer grinned, "At the same time. A screaming woman is starting to become very soothing."

Kira stood, speechless. Summer patted her mother on the shoulder.

"You've missed so much," she chuckled light-heartedly. "Tell Aunt Kaylee I'll be at the hospital."

-----RPM-----

David didn't bother with the Garage. He took Dani straight home. Ronny had been waiting inside ever since she heard of the attack. When Greg heard Dani's desperate cries, everyone knew something terrible had happened. Knowing her husband or Leanne were nearby, Ronny ran home to set everything up to help her daughter. Be it in case of injury or panic.

David carried his only child into the home and set her down on her feet. Ronny ran out from the kitchen and grabbed her baby girl in her arms. Dani grabbed onto her mother tight, refusing to let go.

David went to the living room and opened Dani's old toy box. He reached inside, finding an old yellow blanket. He pulled it out, shook off the dust before bringing it to her. He draped it over her shoulders and led her to the couch.

Once comfortable in both her parents' arms, Dani began to cry once more. Ronny tucked her hair away from her daughter's face, smiling down gently to put her little girl at ease.

"Take your time," she whispered, "We'll wait until you're ready to talk."


	48. Butterfly Effect

After rallying up the citizens in the park, the Rangers returned home. Kaylee immediately ran to the lab to get to work on the military files. She wanted to know if there was a link between Leanne's attack and the spinning eyes everyone seemed to have.

Tenaya greeted the Rangers at the door with a slight worried look. Hayden walked with her to the couch, explaining what had happened. Mike followed them. With Summer and Dani gone, he wanted to stay close to one of his cousin. Vanessa had left him, and as hopeful as he was that this was just a trick, he couldn't bear the thought of what would happen if she really did fall out of love.

He sat alone on the couch, staring down at his hands, "What the hell," he whispered.

Hayden quickly went over the details of the crime with Dawn but glanced over at her cousin every few moments, just to make sure he was okay.

"Leanne was shot?" Dawn asked as Hayden finished, "Who would want to shot her?"

"We don't know," Hayden shrugged, "Dani killed the shooter. Now finding the motive is going to be hard."

"You said eyes were spinning?" Dawn frowned.

"Yeah, Flynn and my mom noticed that everyone who was at the park when the attack happened was... spinny. It was like hypnotism or something. The military's checking them now."

"I bet the busboy has something to do with it," Mike grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, "I don't like that kid."

"Was he the one Vanessa ran off with?" Dawn asked.

Mike nodded, "She dumped me for him. I mean, yeah he's good looking, but... I really thought things were working out between us, and it was a serious relationship..."

"I'm sure it was," Hayden said, taking her cousin's hands and smiling softly, "We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise. Just... if things do go south, remember you always have us."

"Thanks, Hay," Mike grinned, kissing the youngest girl on the forehead. He also turned to Tenaya, giving her a small hug, "Thanks, guys."

-----RPM-----

Ronny's grip on her daughter let go softly as she felt Daniela's body relax. The poor girl had cried herself to sleep and hadn't managed to talk about what was bugging her.

Fearfully, Ronny gazed up at her husband, "Do you know what's going on?" she asked.

"The man who shot Leanne is dead," David whispered so as not to wake his daughter, "Dani says she killed him."

Ronny looked down at her little girl, "She killed him?"

"I don't know the details," David sighed, "Dani was hysterical. I could hear her screaming when the shots were going off. I've never heard her so afraid for someone else's life. I kept an eye on her as I helped Leanne... she bolted up into that tree as if she knew what was going on..."

"Maybe it's got something to do with her disappearance," Ronny suggested, "When she magically left, then came back. We don't know the full story behind that one yet."

"I was just happy she was home," David breathed, "She was unhurt and happy. I didn't want that to change."

"She's also been on these little missions," Ronny pointed out, "Kaylee told me she's the one who got Hayden to talk about the Venjix battle. It seems Dani knew exactly what Hayden needed to be able to forgive and forget."

"Not to mention her knowing I wanted to be a paramedic," David frowned, "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"I didn't tell a soul," Ronny assured her husband, "Only you and I knew."

"Then... how did she catch wind of it?" David asked, "It's not like she could have eavesdropped. She's rarely home, and we had this conversation while she was back at the Garage."

"And yet, she approached you on it?" Ronny frowned.

"She did. She told me not to do it. She said something might happen to me..."

"Something could happen," Ronny nodded, "That's understandable."

"Yeah, but she said it like... she knew there was something in store for me... something bad. She was just so worried about it... Then she went on telling me Leanne would be able to handle the job. She was positive about that! Like it was a well known fact that Leanne's great at multitasking."

"She's got a Ph. D in it," Ronny chuckled. David glared at her. Ronny chuckled nervously, "You know... because she's got a Ph. D in everything..."

"I know," David sighed, "Now I'm really worried about Dani. What's going on in that head of hers? Who is she trying to save with these tasks and missions? Where the hell did she go?"

Ronny approached her husband, wrapping her arms around him comfortingly.

"I know you want answers," she whispered, "I know this is bugging you. But we have to take it easy with her, okay? She'll talk when she's ready, and only when she's ready. And she might not talk to us."

David nodded, "You're right."

"We just gotta watch her," Ronny smiled, "Make sure she's okay and let her know we're here for her, no matter what happens."

Ronny knelt down beside the couch, touching her daughter gently, tucking away the hair from her face. She kissed her forehead and smiled.

"No matter what, Nascar," she whispered, "I love you."

-----RPM-----

Summer was led to her Aunt's hospital room by a nurse and was updated on her status. Leanne would live, but the amount of blood Kaylee gave wasn't enough to prevent scarring. Her heart and shoulder area were going to be in extreme pain over the next few days as Kaylee's powers and Leanne's body worked on fixing the four bullet holes.

Summer pulled up a chair, placing it beside the bed. She took her Aunt's hand, stroking the back of it gently with her thumb. To pass the time, Summer turned on the TV.

The newscaster was sitting at her desk, filling the citizens of Corinth and Newtech in on the events that happened in the park. Summer rolled her eyes as footage played of the Rangers arriving on scene.

"_It's said that Corinth's new part-time doctor, Leanne Watanabe, has decided to make some drastic changes to our medical system. Some Corinth residents were against her new laws and revolted. One man, now dead, hid in a tree in Corinth Park and pulled the trigger five times. According to the military, four of those five shots hit Dr. Watanabe while the fifth took the life of the shooter."_

Summer grinned, "You hear that, Aunt Leah? The bastard who tried to kill you is dead."

There was no response, which Summer expected seeing as he Aunt was sleeping. She turned her attention back to the news.

"_Though the population of Corinth seems to be against the new doctor, footage of the Rangers arriving on scene is turning a few heads. Are our heroes really trying to look out for us? When trying to keep the city calm, the Black Ranger seemed to create fire from his body, setting the entire park in flames. This resulted in a few injuries, but no deaths. To add, none of the Rangers stood in the defence of the innocent bystanders, allowing their mentor and city leader, Kaylee Brooks, to aggressively grab a man by the neck and ram him into a flaming tree to try and pull false information out of him. When the man couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear, Brooks dropped him and attacked a woman..."_

"Whoa, wait a minute," Summer frowned, "What the hell is this lady saying? Aunt Kaylee was being a little rough, yeah, but she didn't grab him by the neck and ram him into a flaming tree! The tree was scorched and she grabbed him by the collar!"

"_Have our Rangers really been on our side, or have we just found ourselves under their protection for their own benefit? Kaylee Brooks seemed to put one of her best friend's lives before half the human race. Could it be that the Rangers are only trying to protect their family? Do they really care about us, or have they been..."_

Summer turned off the TV and grumbled, "Stupid liars. They'll say anything to get people to listen to their story. If we didn't care about this city we would have let it fall ages ago."

Suddenly, Summer felt her aunt stir. She turned to the red head with a smile, keeping her grip on her hand strong to let Leanne know someone was there with her.

"Ow," was the first word from Leanne's lips as her eyes opened. Summer chuckled.

"Late reaction, much?"

"What happened?" Leanne asked as her eyes wandered, searching the room, "Where am I?"

"Calm down," Summer smiled, "You're in the hospital. You were shot four times."

"I... I was?" Leanne frowned. Summer nodded, tracing the spots where the bullets went into her body: one just under her shoulder, one in the middle of her chest, one under her breast and the other on her upper arm. Leanne winced at Summer's touch, feeling the pain of the injury. "Ow..."

"Sorry," Summer hissed, pulling away, "I didn't mean to hurt you. You just needed to know where. The doctors don't want you moving too much."

"It's okay," Leanne said, shifting slightly so she was comfortable, "It just... I never thought I would be shot."

"Four times," Summer nodded, "It's a shock for all of us. Aunt Kaylee was panicking."

"What happened, though?" Leanne asked, "Last thing I remember... David was teasing Dani."

"Uncle Doc and Dani were walking you home,' Summer said, "You guys cut through the park. I don't know what happened between then and the attack, but there was a shooter up in a tree. He hit you four times before Dani caught him. In the heat of the moment, she turned his gun and he shot himself in the heart. He dropped dead... literally. He fell out of the tree and was dead."

"He died?" Leanne frowned.

"Don't worry about it," Summer whispered, pulling the blankets up a little higher so Leanne could get comfortable and sleep, "My mom and Aunt Kaylee are getting to the bottom of this."

"What did I do?" Leanne asked as she began to tremble, "Why did he shot me? Was anyone else hurt?"

"No one else was shot," Summer sighed. She took Leanne's hand, "We'll figure this out. But for now, you're safe."

Summer's eyes strayed to the TV where she remembered the new anchor telling everyone in the city that the Rangers weren't really city heroes. Information like that, told from someone with powers of persuasion, could easily manipulate the city into believing the Rangers and their families were menaces.

Summer couldn't actually promise Leanne safety now. The revolt was probably just the start. She was probably in more danger now than ever because she was injured and dependant on hospital staff. If they turned on her things wouldn't go well.

"I'll get you out of here as soon as I can," Summer said, "You're better off at home, where we can all keep an eye on you."

-----RPM-----

"Have you found anything?" Mike asked as he and the two girls walked into the lab. Kaylee shook her head slowly.

"Just a bunch of people with spinning eyes," Kaylee sighed, "Still no news from Colonel Truman about what caused it."

"But I did notice something," Kira smirked pointing to the footage of Vanessa dumping Mike. She pointed to Vanessa's eyes, "She's the only one who's eyes spin counter-clockwise."

"So?" Hayden asked.

"It's a clue," Dawn shrugged. "What about that busboy kid? Is he hypnotized?"

"That was going to be my second point," Kira smiled, "Out of everyone in the park, he's the only who hasn't been seen with spinning eyes. And, apparently, while doing a headcount, he turned out to be missing. He's not with the others."

"So, would he be the ring leader?" Hayden asked.

Kaylee nodded, "I would guess so. It's our only lead so far."

"Vanessa dumped me for him," Mike growled, "I'll bet all of you that her eyes spin different because she is under a different spell."

"Hypnosis," Kaylee corrected, "but go on."

"That son of a bitch has manipulated her into loving him!" Mike screamed, glaring at the picture of the busboy on the monitors.

"Bastard," Hayden muttered, "But at least you know this isn't really Vanessa dumping you. It's so kind of hypnotised blonde bitch."

"Wait... how did the Leanne blood bath happen?" Dawn asked, "There was an engagement?"

"Busboy and Vanessa," Kira nodded, "We got this information from the military as they questioned the people. He proposed, Vanessa said I do, which you say at a wedding, not a proposal..."

"Could it have been code?' Dawn asked, "The shots happened right after that, right? Look at the facts, hypnotized girlfriend, magically immune busboy, a proposal, she says I do instead of yes, Leanne's shot. It sounds like a plan to me, and believe me, I know a plan when I see it. It's what I'm programmed for."

"Used to be programmed for," Hayden smirked, "You're family, remember?"

Dawn nodded, "Right... sorry, I forgot I was fully human now."

"I do..." Kaylee mused, turning to Kira, "Sounds like the perfect code. It's odd enough to stand out, but not odd enough draw too much attention..."

"Busboy ran from the scene of the crime," Kira nodded, "As far as I know, he's guilty."

"Unfortunately, it's innocence until proven guilty," Kaylee sighed, "We need proof."

"Vanessa's in love with busboy, right?" Hayden smirked, "She's disappeared to be with him, sticks with him... maybe we can kill two birds with one stone: get Vanessa back and use her to prove that busboy is a lying, manipulative jackass who should be burned."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Mike asked, "Vanessa's not coming back to us. She made that clear."

"I have a new future brother in-law," Hayden grinned, "And he can shape shift into whoever he likes. I don't think busboy's going to be too hard to mimic."

-----RPM-----

Daniela finally woke up, wrapped in her baby blanket. Images of the shooter's death continued to haunt her mind as she slowly lifted herself off the couch. She kept her yellow blanket close, dragging her feet across the floor as she climbed her stairs to her room.

She dropped down on her bed and took a long, deep breath.

"I did the right thing... right?" she whispered, "I had to stop the attacks. There was only one way. Turn the gun... he pulled the trigger... he took his own life. I just happened to be there... he was in the wrong... not me... right?"

Daniela groaned loudly, falling on her back, "I don't know! Both their lives were in my hand! I didn't want that! I wanted my dad to be safe... I don't want Aunt Leah hurt... I don't want the shooter dead..."

Dani suddenly started thrashing around, throwing off the blankets from her bed and tossing her pillows everywhere. When she finally calmed, she sat up in the middle of her bed, crossing her legs. Her hands were resting on her legs.

Her head fell and she sighed, shutting her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks, into her hands. When she opened her eyes again, she saw blood.

There was blood on her hands.

She wiped her eyes and the blood disappeared. Dani sighed in relief, happy she wasn't hurt, but she couldn't shake that image from her mind.

"I helped Hayden, I helped dad... but... maybe I didn't," she whispered, "Maybe... the future was the best case scenario... maybe I was supposed to be dead..."


	49. Overdose

_Author's Note: Well, would you look at that, I've reached chapter 100. I know it says 49 but add the 51 chapters from part one and what do you get? (For those of you going 'there's a part one?' message me now for help)._

_I can't believe RPM's made it this far, as well as the Kaylee series, and I'm still coming up with ideas that you guys are liking (I'll admit, giving the chapters original titles is becoming a real bitch). Thanks for all your support and your reviews. It's always great to hear what you guys think._

_Thanks everyone._

_Lily_

-----100-----

Greg had an uneasy feeling for quite a while now. He didn't know what it was. One minute he was feeling great (as great as he could given the circumstances), the next, he was feeling depressed, anxious, scared and unless.

The funny thing was, as much as he was feeling all those emotions... Greg didn't feel like they belonged to him.

Rose walked over to her son, touching his arm gently, snapping him back to reality as she placed his dinner in front of him.

"You're zoning out again," she whispered, "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"I told you, mom, I'm fine," Greg nodded, taking the fork and poking at his food. "I know Aunt Leah's family to you, but I grew up elsewhere. Your family isn't really mine."

"I know that," Rose chuckled, "If we had the same family, you definitely wouldn't be going out with Dani."

Greg's eyes widened, "Dani! Mom, its Dani!"

Rose looked down at the plate of food in front of her son, "Actually, it's chicken..."

"No, not the meat!" Greg hopped out of his seat, taking off for the front door, "I was zoning out because I felt uncomfortable, but I wasn't! It's because it wasn't me feeling down, it was Dani!"

"Whoa, what?" Rose asked, but Greg was in too much of a hurry.

"I can't explain yet, I've got to find Dani!"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Gregory, eat your dinner first!"

Greg ran back to the table, shoving the chicken in his mouth to finish it off. He kissed Rose on the cheek then left the house.

Rose sighed, "What the hell is up with him?"

-----RPM-----

"Girls..." Tori breathed, walking into the lab to find Kaylee and Kira passed out in front of the computer. She tiptoed to their side and gently placed her hand on their shoulder, "C'mon, brats, wake up."

"Not sleeping," Kaylee yawned as her head rose and she went back to working on the computer, "Thinking... must figure out... where Vanessa is..."

Kaylee trailed off as another yawn took over. As it ended, her head fell back down on the keyboard. Tori winced, shaking her sister again to wake her.

"Kaylee, go to bed," she whispered, "It's great you're looking out for Mike but..."

"Linked," Kaylee muttered, "Vanessa and Leanne."

"Oh not another family thing..." Tori groaned.

"Shooting... responsible..." Kaylee explained through the sleep, "We think the city's..."

"Brainwashed? I know. Mike told me," Tori nodded. She knelt down in front of her sister and gave the sleepy woman a smile, "Look, go to bed. You're not going to help anyone by sleeping here. If anything you'll just be typing in gibberish with your forehead."

Kaylee looked up as her hand moved to her head, feeling the mark the keys left.

"Dammit," she sighed, "Now my forehead says 'sxderctfvygbhumjiok'."

Kaylee rubbed her head and turned back to the computer, "Don't worry, Tor... after that little power nap I'm feeling..."

Again, Kaylee yawned.

"Energized... how the hell did that bunny do it all the time?"

"If I give you a piggy-back, will you go to bed?" Tori offered. Suddenly, Kira started to stir.

"Piggy-back?" her tired voice said, "To my bed? I don't have to move? I'll take it."

Tori looked over her shoulder, "I was offering it to Kaylee but..."

Before Tori could say anything more, Kira flopped down on her, wrapping her arms around Tori. The blonde surfer rolled her eyes as she stood up straight.

"I'll be right back, Kayl-Whale."

"That nickname wasn't funny when I was five, and it never was funny... especially when I was pregnant!" Kaylee called.

"I love you, too!"

Now that Kaylee was awake, and alone, she had nothing to distract her from finding Vanessa. She knew that once she found her nephew's girlfriend and got information out of her, they could figure out the motive behind the shooting that sent Leanne to the hospital.

-----RPM-----

Out in the city, the people were growing anxious, waiting for the right moment. They had all heard the 6 o'clock news and they had all learned that the Rangers had used them, manipulated them and lied to them.

Of course they were only out to protect the new doctor, the one who was trying to change the entire city. She was their Aunt, their friend, their family. The fact that her ideas could put lives at stake by crowding up doctor's offices or emergency rooms disgusted every last citizen of Corinth city.

H-07 was back in the city, along with Vanessa. He hadn't run far, knowing his plan was working perfectly. The whole city wanted the Rangers to fall. Soon, that was going to happen.

He stepped up on a park bench as he hushed the crowd. Everyone turned to him, with looks of power of their faces. H-07 smirked.

"Who wants to take over this city?"

-----RPM-----

Summer sat in her chair, watching as her aunt slept as she kept her eye on the door. Every time she thought it moved she would jump up and grab her morpher. After seeing the report, she knew disaster was coming.

Suddenly, the doorknob did move, and it wasn't just Summer imagining it. It turned very slowly as Summer got to her feet, standing in front of her injured Aunt as she reached for her morpher. The door creaked as it opened and a figure walked in.

"Get away," Summer hissed until the person turned on the lights.

"Why is it so dark in here?" he asked. The lights shone on his face and Summer let out her breath.

"Dillon... what the hell? You scared me!" Summer put her morpher back in her pocket and turned to Leanne, who had been woken up by the lights. Summer touched her hand gently as she looked to Dillon, "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry about that," Dillon laughed, "I didn't want to knock because I didn't want to wake up Leanne."

"How did that work out for you?" Leanne asked.

"Are you asleep?"

"I'm dreaming of little bunnies and ponies."

"Cool," Dillon shrugged. Leanne chuckled slightly but Summer didn't look happy.

"Dillon, did you see the news?" she asked. Dillon shook his head.

"I was a little busy back at the garage with the whole shooting mystery thing," Dillon answered, "Why?"

"The stupid news anchor is lying," Summer grumbled, "She got her facts all wrong..."

"What else is new?" Dillon frowned, "They always get their information wrong at first. Then, on the next update, they correct everyone. Hell, sometimes it takes a week before they realise, whoops, there's no such things as flying unicorns and talking rainclouds! Our bad!"

"Summer, sweetheart, what did you hear on the news?" Leanne asked, sitting up in her bed and making room for Summer to sit on the end. The blonde sat and turned to her Aunt and Dillon.

"She's making comments about us, as Rangers," Summer said, "Just because Aunt Kaylee went a little... protective of you and was a little hostile, the news claims we're only out to save ourselves. To sum up their thoughts, they think we're using Corinth as a cover and the only reason we're protecting the city is because we live on it. If T15 were to attack a citizen right now, they claim that we're not going to help them."

"That's not right," Leanne frowned, "They're supposed to deliver the news and the facts, not give their opinions to the public!"

"After everything that went down tonight, with the spinning eyes and the shooting... I'm scared we're in for hell."

"What are a bunch of angry shopkeepers and businessmen going to do to us?" Dillon asked, taking a seat beside Summer, "We're the Power Rangers..."

"Dillon, you set the park on fire," Summer frowned, "That's not going to help our case."

"They were supposed to freeze!"

"You set the park on fire?" Leanne asked, "When the... how long was I out?"

Summer fell back on the bed, "I just... after seeing that report... I don't know who I can trust," Summer breathed, "When Corinth wants war, they go for it! I heard what happened during the famine. It sounded like it was a bloodbath!"

"Meh," Dillon shrugged, taking his girlfriend's hand, "On the bright side, if we ran out of food we could have snacked on the dead bodies."

"This isn't funny!" Summer yelled, "Whoever's got this city under their spell could come after all of it! Aunt Leah was barely even promoted and she's already got haters!"

Dillon sighed as he wrapped his arms around Summer protectively. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Nothing's going to happen. It was just some kid trying to let out some steam."

"Some kid?" Leanne frowned, "Steam? I was shot four..."

"Shh!" Dillon hushed, "Why don't you both get some rest? I'll watch the door. If anything happens I promise I'll wake you up and we'll get out of here."

Summer nodded, pulling away from Dillon and walking over to her chair. It wasn't comfortable but there was no place else to sleep. Dillon helped Leanne lie back down on the bed before turning off the lights. He pulled a chair away from the wall and brought it beside Summer. As she began to doze off, he took her hand in his as he watched the door.

-----RPM-----

Daniela carefully walked down the hall to the bathroom, trying not to alert her parents that she was awake.

She had screwed up, big time. She had gone to the future so she could change things, make them better. Her mission was to keep the family together and save her father. Now, the family was still together, and her father was alive, but Leanne had still been shot, and she would have died had Dani not known about the fifth shot. The future wasn't the same as it was before, but it was still looking grim. Surely if Leanne was still shot there was a chance everything else was going to happen. What if her father still ended up in an accident? Maybe not while in an ambulance, but it could still happen? What if the family still broke up?

If Leanne could still be shot, even with a different present, everything else was still possible.

Dani locked the door behind her and walked to the medicine cabinet. She grabbed the first bottle she could find, not caring what it was. She just knew that for the future to work out, she needed to be dead. At least then she would know what would happen to her family. It wasn't ideal and everyone would be living in depression, but it was better than whatever future she was creating.

The silver Ranger unscrewed the cap and looked inside at the pills in the bottle. Suddenly there was a loud bang at the door.

"Dani, are you in there?" she heard Greg call. Her body froze. Maybe, if she didn't answer he would go away. "Dani, I know you're in there!"

"Dammit," Dani mumbled, keeping her voice low so Greg didn't hear. She had forgotten about their link.

On the other side of the door Greg was struggling with the lock. He knew Dani was about to do something stupid and he needed to stop her.

"Daniela, whatever you're doing I want you to stop!" he yelled. Ronny and David heard the commotion from their bedroom and walked into hall to find Greg, pounding on their bedroom door.

"What is going on?" David asked, walking to the gold Ranger, "Who are you talking too?"

Greg turned to his girlfriend's parents, "Dani's in there! I don't know what she's doing but you might want to help me out here!"

Ronny rushed over to the door and knocked on it, "Daniela, sweetheart, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Daniela clutched the bottle of medicine, keeping quiet. If her parents and Greg saw her now she would be in so much trouble. She dumped some of the pills in her hand and stared at them.

Ronny heard the medication as it fell from the bottle and her heart dropped, "Daniela! What are you doing?"

Dani took a deep breath as she put the handful of pills in her mouth and chewed. The taste was anything but pleasant, but Dani had to get it over with.

She leaned over the sink as her parents and boyfriend banged on the door, trying to get her to come out. All she had to do was wait.

She grabbed the bottle once more, reading the label.

"Acetaminophen?" she groaned, "Great, I'm taking my own life with pain killers."

She read further down the label, "Don't take more than eight tablets a day... whoops."

Suddenly the bottle fell from her hand and the pills and bottle scattered all over the floor. Dani clutched the sink with both hands as the world began to spin.

Ronny heard the medicine hit the floor and she panicked. She rammed her shoulder into the door, causing the lock to break. The door flew open and the scared mother found her daughter by the sink.

Greg turned to David, "Okay, so if I ever do something wrong... I know to fear the mother."

"Yeah, I was never the parent you had to worry about," David shrugged. The two boys joined Ronny, with David grabbing his daughter's arms, holding her upright.

"Dani, what did you do?" he asked her. Dani struggled, trying to pull away but David held her tight.

"I had to!" she screamed, "Life's better off without me!"

"Dani..." Ronny breathed, wrapping her arms around her daughter, "Why would you say that?"

"It's just... everything's getting worst... I wasn't supposed to kill that man... and Aunt Leah getting shot wasn't supposed to happen because I changed the present!"

"What?" David asked before Dani began to sway. Even with her mother's support she still stumbled to the ground. Ronny dropped with her daughter and tapped her cheek gently to try and wake her.

-----RPM-----

"I can't believe I'm asking you to flirt with my girlfriend," Mike sighed as he sat on the couch beside Scott. Everyone present at the base had been informed about the plan to get Vanessa into the Garage. They were just waiting for Kaylee and Kira to locate her before commencing the plan.

"I can't believe I'm flirting with another woman just after getting engaged," Scott frowned, "This family is insane."

Tori walked through the room, carrying a very tired Kira on her back as she walked up the stairs and into the girls' room.

Samantha easily ignored this, "I can't believe I'm okay with this," she said, "This is officially weird."

"At least if this plan works everything will go back to normal," Ziggy smiled, "And no one will have to flirt with anyone else's girlfriend."

Kaylee stepped out of the lab with a smile on her face, "I found her."

Mike jumped up, "Where is she?"

"She's back at the park," Kaylee said, "The entire city is there. I'm also picking up T15 hardware. Something tells me she's behind all this."

Mike clenched his fist, "That ugly bitch is going to pay."

"Hey!" Dawn called, glaring at the Bradley boy, "She's my clone, watch what you say about her looks."

"Sorry..." Mike frowned. He glanced over at Scott, "Are you ready for this?"

Scott stood up, letting go of Samantha's hand, "As ready as I'll ever be. Please don't hurt me for flirting with your girl."

"Let me take this all out on that busboy and you'll be fine."

Scott and Mike bumped fists before Scott used his powers. He pictured the busboy in his head and morphed into him. Samantha scooted over on the couch and leaned into her sister.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to hate those powers twenty years from now?" she asked.

"Because while you grow old and wrinkly, Scott will forever be able to look like he's a hot twenty-year old Power Ranger."

Samantha glared at her sister, "Thanks, Hay."

"What... you asked."

Kaylee approached Scott but still kept a fair distance. Shape shifting still crept her out.

"Okay, here's what you're going to do," she said, "The city will be there watching your every move. You've gotta find Vanessa when she's not with busboy and you've got to lure her back here."

Kaylee turned away from the red Ranger and looked to the rest of the Ranger team (minus Summer, Dillon, Greg and Dani), As soon as Vanessa walks in here we grab her. I've got the chair set up to keep her in place while we try to reverse the effects of hypnotism. Hopefully once we're done with that Vanessa will remember what happened."

"We can only hope," Flynn nodded.

-----RPM-----

"Dani? Daniela, wake up!" she called. David and Greg dropped to their knees as well to try and help.

"Wake her up," David told his wife and Greg, "Don't let her pass out."

"Dani," Greg called gently, taking her head, "Dani, listen to me, stay awake."

David grabbed his daughter gently, holding her in his arms as he reached his hand in her mouth. Greg squeezed her hand, keeping his eyes fixed on her to keep her awake.

Suddenly Dani began to gag. David pulled his fingers out of her mouth to clear room, but nothing happened.

"C'mon, Dani," he said, "I don't care of you throw up on the floor this time."

He tried again, touching the back of Dani's throat with his fingers. He felt his daughter gag and pulled his hand out.

This time he succeeded as Dani threw up. He laid her down, on her side, leaving her to Ronny and Greg as he went to the medicine cabinet to grab his first aid kit.


	50. Pieces of a Puzzle

H-07 led his following across the city while the artificial sun rose behind them. The sky was beautiful and the birds were singing, but the people themselves were enraged.

"You would think with the fall of Venjix we would find peace," a man muttered, jogging ahead of the group to catch up to H-07 and Vanessa. Just like with everyone else, his eyes were spinning counter-clockwise, "But all we've seen is... chaos! I've been out of a job for months now because of Kaylee and her team of Rangers, and I've yet to see anyone give a damn."

"What do you do?" Vanessa asked the man.

"I used to farm," the man answered as he looked to the sky, "but ever since the Food Boomer appeared and the crops all died, I've been unable to find work."

"That doesn't sound right," H-07 smirked, turning his gaze on the farmer while still marching forward, "This city should be looking out for you. If it took your job away, it should help you out until you're back on your feet."

"I realise that now," the farmer nodded. "Ever since you walked into the city we've been able to finally voice our thoughts. It's nice to have a leader who actually cares about what happens in Corinth."

"Oh," H-07 nodded, stopping once the control tower was in sight, "I care..."

Towards the end of the pack, Scott was slowly making his way through, trying to find Vanessa. He checked every woman he could as he passed by them.

"C'mon," he grumbled, slipping between a couple, quickly eyeing the woman. He felt like a disgusting pervert, and he was sure that if the men weren't hypnotised they would beat him for looking at their women. "Vanessa... where the hell are you?"

"Vanessa?" a small child asked, turning to Scott, "Why do you want Vanessa?"

Scott followed the young boy, trying not to draw too much attention to himself, "I need to talk to her."

He looked down at the kid, noticing his eyes weren't spinning like everyone else's. Of course, this child was too small to look directly in the busboy's eyes and therefore couldn't be hypnotised. But by the way the boy was clinging onto his father's arm; Scott figured he was scared and sticking close to his father, no matter what, for protection.

"Then make an announcement," the kid shrugged, "Everyone listens to you."

Scott frowned for a moment before remembering he wasn't in his own body. He looked exactly like the busboy leading the pack.

"I can't do that," he said, "It's a secret talk."

"Ohh," the boy nodded, "Well, you were walking with a girl who you called Vanessa..."

"Yes, that's her! Where did you last see us?"

"You're showing us where to go," the boy pointed to the front of the large group, "See, mister, you're right there."

Scott ruffled the boy's head as she spotted the busboy and Vanessa, "Thanks, kid."

"You're welcome," the boy smiled.

Scott pushed through to the front of the group and grabbed Vanessa's arm. He yanked her back into the crowd and spun her around so she wouldn't know what was going on. Finally, he grabbed her arms and steadied her.

"Careful," he smiled, "You don't wanna hurt yourself."

Vanessa held her hand with one hand, trying to get her vision to stop dancing, "What the hell?"

"C'mon," Scott grinned, winking at Vanessa, making her heart flutter, "These chumps can figure out the rest of the way. How about you and I get some alone time?"

"But we're supposed to take the control tower hostage," Vanessa frowned, pointing over her shoulder to the giant building. "You can't leave your people."

"They'll be fine," Scott grinned, "Just for a few seconds. After the control tower I've got other plans. I want to show you what we're going after next."

"You have other plans?" Vanessa frowned, "Won't your master be angry?"

"Trust me," Scott said. The plan wasn't running as smoothly as he hopped. He thought it would be easier to manipulate Vanessa. He quickly looked down to make sure he was still in the busboy's body.

"You know I do," Vanessa giggled, lightly tracing her fingers over Scott's chest. He had to try very hard not to pull away, "I just... I don't understand why you're doing this now."

"C'mon," Scott said, grabbing her hand, removing it from his chest, and pulling her in the direction of the Garage, "You're going to love what you see, I promise."

-----RPM-----

Dillon never thought he could be this tired. His eyes were slowly drooping shut before they would snap open again and he was fully alert. After only a few seconds, they would slowly begin to fall again.

He was responsible for watching the room while Leanne and Summer slept soundly. No one was getting inside unless they wanted to deal with him. Summer was afraid something bad would happen to Leanne, and didn't want to leave her unguarded. Dillon noticed Summer needed some rest, so he offered to be look out.

Suddenly, Dillon was wide awake again as he heard a screaming coming from the window. He got up from his chair, letting go of Summer's hand, to check it out.

He peeked through the curtains but didn't see anything. He frowned before hearing something drop outside the room. He crept over to the door, pressed his ear against the large metal frame and listened closely.

"_Doctor, did you hear the news?"_ a woman asked. She must have been a nurse.

"_Just did,"_ a male voice replied. He was the doctor the nurse was talking too.

"_Corinth city is rebelling,"_ the nurse said, _"Citizens have taken control of the control tower."_

"The control tower?" Dillon frowned, keeping his voice low. The doors were thick, but if he could hear the people outside with no problem, they could definitely hear him if he spoke too loudly. "How the hell do you take that over? It's one of the most guarded buildings in the city! Hell, the military works there!"

"_I can't imagine how they got inside," _the doctor said, _"But, that no longer matters. They're passing along a message."_

"_I heard. They want to overthrow the Rangers. You know, this whole mess started because of that new doctor."_

"_The one in that room..."_

Dillon pulled his ear away from the door for a moment and looked over to Leanne and his girlfriend. Summer was right. Leanne was in danger. He pressed his ear back against the door.

"_If we take her out, we can show Kaylee and the Rangers that the city means business," _the doctor said.

"_It sounds like a great plan," _the nurse answered.

"_I'll go call the control tower. Let the others know we have a plan."_

Dillon slid the door opened slightly to look at the doctor and the nurse as the doctor retreated. He couldn't see the doctor's eyes, because he was walking away, but the nurse turned, facing the door. Dillon could see her green eyes spinning.

"Stupid hypnotism," he grumbled. He shut the door before running to the bed.

"Summer," he hushed, shaking his girlfriend, "Summer, wake up."

Summer stirred, stretching her arms, "What's wrong?"

"We gotta get going," Dillon snapped, gently shaking Leanne awake, "There's a revolution."

"Yeah, us," Summer frowned, "Against Venjix and his robot empire... we won... goodnight..."

"No! Summer, you were right!" Dillon cried, "Think we can fit in that air vent?"

"Think I can reach it?" Leanne asked, pushing herself up, careful not to move her arm. Summer quickly grabbed a piece of cloth from the tray a nurse left behind and wrapped it as a sling so Leanne wouldn't have to worry too much about her shoulder.

Dillon moved his chair just under the air vent. He hopped up and removed the grate. He got off the chair and helped Summer up.

"Now get on my shoulders," he told her. Summer was about to ask but Dillon managed to get her to sit on his shoulders. She grabbed his head (finding nothing else to grab in her panic) as he got back up on the chair.

"Whoa, Dillon!" Summer yelped just before her head hit the roof, "Ow..."

"Watch her head," Leanne groaned, biting her index finger nervously as Dillon tried to balance Summer.

"Sorry, Sunshine," Dillon winced. He pointed up to the vent, "You can reach. Climb in and wait to help Leanne up."

"What?" Summer asked, looking down at her psychotic boyfriend, "I can't..."

"There's the hole," Dillon said, shifting his position so Summer could easily climb into the hole.

"This is going to be so dirty," Summer groaned, lifting herself into the vent. Dillon pushed her up gently, causing Leanne to chuckle.

"You're proving her point," she pointed to where Dillon's hand was placed, just under Summer's butt to push her up. Normally Dillon wouldn't mind, but that fact that Leanne was Summer's aunt embarrassed him and he pulled his hand away.

Summer was using Dillon's strength to help herself into the vent, so when he pulled away, she lost her grounding and slipped slightly, catching herself before she fell out of the vent completely.

"Dillon!" she growled, kicking her feet, "Now you're a chicken shit!"

"Sorry," Dillon grabbed her legs, letting her know he was still there and carefully lifted her up, getting her into the vent.

"One up," Leanne said, looking up at the roof as Dillon smirked. She realised she was next and frowned. "Aw... no. C'mon, I can't make it up there! And you're not touching my ass!"

"I won't," Dillon laughed, "I promise."

Leanne looked back up at the vent as Summer poked her head out, "What are my options?"

"Well," Dillon started, "You could go up there and escape with us... or you could stay here and take your chances with the doctors who are probably trying to kill you."

"The doctor's don't sound so..."

"Aunt Leah," Summer frowned, "C'mon!"

Dillon lifted Leanne on the chair then put her on his shoulders. He got up on the chair as well and shifted his body to try and get Leanne into the vent.

"Where is the hole?" he asked. Summer shook her head slowly and sighed.

"Almost there," she said, "Aunt Leah, keep your head down until I tell you to come up... I'm so regretting this."

"How about now? Is that good?"

"A little over," Summer reached her hand down, touching her Aunt's shoulder. Leanne reached up with her good hand, catching Summer's. The yellow Ranger pulled her Aunt up while Dillon helped. He pushed on her legs, with all his strength, trying to stay away from the butt area.

"C'mon, Dillon, harder!" Summer called. Leanne chuckled, trying to hide it. Summer glared at her Aunt but ignored it for now, "She's only got one arm!"

"I'm trying!" Dillon frowned, "God, this would be easier with the enhancements."

"Oh God," Summer let go of her Aunt's hand for a moment, putting all Leanne's weight back on Dillon, "You know what, we're shutting up."

Dillon agreed, pushing the older woman up into the vent with a strong shove. Leanne crawled in, hurting her shoulder and heart slightly, but nothing she couldn't bear.

When Leanne was up Dillon hopped down from the chair, putting it back in its place. He stood under the vent and jumped as high as he could. Summer and Leanne reached down, each grabbing on hand, helping him up. When Dillon reached the vent he pulled himself up and closed the grate.

Summer looked around. The vent was huge for a hospital. Normally it was just a tiny little air vent. This one could easily hold three people inside, making travel easier.

"It's huge," she commented.

"Yeah, in case Venjix did take over," Leanne whispered, motioning for the others to keep their voices low, "In NewTech it's the same. It's the emergency route for patients."

"So, these vents are made for travel?" Dillon asked.

"Yep," Leanne nodded, "It's big enough to move around it, and doesn't creak as much as it should."

"But it still does?" Summer frowned.

"A little. We should be careful."

"Okay, so the way I see it," Dillon started as he and the two women began crawling through the vents, "We follow these until we reach the exit, then we book it to the Garage. I think Doc's the only doctor we can trust right now."

Summer nodded, "I told you guys this was bad! We should have left earlier."

Leanne was already starting to trail behind. It was hard enough crawling on two knees and one hand, but her injured shoulder was killing her so she needed to stop to massage it every few feet.

"Guys, slow down," she whispered, "I'm hobbling over here!"

Summer stopped, waiting for her aunt to catch up before crawling beside her, "Try and go as fast as you can, Aunt Leah. You're the one everyone's after."

"What the hell did I do?" Leanne frowned, "I'm the most hated woman in Corinth, and I haven't officially moved here yet."

"I blame spinning eyes," Dillon said, "C'mon girls."

-----RPM-----

Greg and Ronny gently placed Dani in her bed as David finished taking some blood from her to analyse just how bad her condition was. As he walked to the bathroom to check it Ronny sat on the bed beside her daughter.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, "Daniela Marks, you could have killed yourself back there!"

"I know," Dani frowned, "That's why I did it!"

"But I want to know why!" Ronny cried as the tears started to spill. She took her daughter's hand, "You scared me to death, Dan... why would you do that?"

"I don't know..."

"Yes you do," Greg said, standing at the end of the bed with his arms crossed, "Dani, your mind is clear enough to think..."

"Get out of my head!" Dani yelled. Greg shook his head.

"Not until you tell us all the truth," he frowned, "I'm not letting you get away with this! You tried suicide, Dani! You need help! Unfortunately we can't offer it until we know what we're dealing with... what you're dealing with! Spill!"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Dani screamed.

"We gave you time," Ronny argued, grabbing her daughter's wrists and forcing Dani to look at her, "And you made an attempt at your own life! Now we're doing things this way!"

"I'm not talking," Dani growled. Suddenly she felt Greg inside her mind, creeping around for information. "GET OUT!"

"Then tell us!" Greg pleaded. He walked around the bed and sat beside Dani, "C'mon, Speedster... no matter what, you can tell us."

Dani's body began to shake. She pulled away from her mother and sunk into her bed, holding a pillow to her chest.

"I failed," she whispered, "There's no point."

"Daniela..." Ronny caressed her daughter's cheek gently, moving in closer, "What's bugging you? You haven't been yourself since you disappeared?"

"Where did you go?" Greg asked, hoping a more specific question would get the ball rolling.

"I was in the future," Dani's eyes moved up so she was looking at her mother, boyfriend and her father, who was walking back into the room.

-----RPM-----

Ziggy was crouched down in front of Scott's car as the red Ranger and Vanessa walked into the base. As soon as he saw their shadows he jumped out, grabbing Vanessa to keep her from running off.

"Hey... what the hell?" Vanessa screamed, struggling to pull free from Ziggy, but his super strength gave him the advantage and she found that she couldn't move.

Kaylee placed her hand on Ziggy's shoulder as she looked to Vanessa, "We want answers."

"Aunt K... answers now? I thought you were going to snap her out of the trance..."

"I've been thinking about it," Kaylee said calmly. She understood Mike was eager to have his girlfriend back to normal, "But there's a chance that she won't remember what the hell she's been doing. If she's part of whatever plan, I need to make sure we at least get something from her."

Kaylee motioned to Dr. K as the genius wheeled out the chair from her lab. Ziggy dragged Vanessa to it, strapping her down so she couldn't move and he didn't have to hold her against her will (not that the chair was doing any different).

Mike turned away, followed closely by Hayden. He couldn't bear to see his girlfriend being held prisoner by his family.

Kaylee looked to Kira, rubbing her temples. Her older sister gave her a weak, yet encouraging smile.

"It's for the best," she said, "Let's just get this done with."

Kaylee nodded and leaned over Vanessa, "We'll let you go as soon as we get some answers," she said, "What do you know about the shooting?"

Vanessa looked at Kaylee with a smug smirk, "Like I'm going to tell you."

"Well, I think it's safe to assume she's hiding something," Dawn sighed. She touched Kaylee's arm, pulling her aunt away as she glared at Vanessa, "Talk."

"Make me," Vanessa grinned confidently. She noticed Dawn looked a lot like H-07's master, T15, but there were some differences. T15 was a little more robot on the outside, with a chip placed above her artificial flesh, just by her right eye. Dawn was all human.

"I wish I could," Dawn sighed, "But I'm not letting you go anywhere until you answer these questions."

Vanessa turned to Scott, who was still disguised as H-07. Scott grinned, dropping the disguise.

"Surprise," he said, "There's no one to help you. In fact, I'm pretty sure your little 'boyfriend' doesn't even know you're missing."

"H-07 will notice!" Vanessa screamed, "And he'll storm in here and murder you all for tricking me!"

"Vanessa..." Kaylee sighed, "This H-07 kid's the one who fooled you. You're in a trance."

"H-07?" Flynn frowned, "Wouldn't that be a Venjix bot?"

Dawn's eyes widened, "A T15 bot! As far as I know Venjix completed all his D series infiltrators. Not many of them survived... H-07 would be the name of one of the next ones!"

"So the busboy's the robot Kaylee was picking up," Ziggy nodded, fitting the pieces together.

"Dawn," Kira called, "Is there any way you can find out any information on H-07? What he can do?"

Dawn pointed to Vanessa's eyes, "I remember there being a blueprint for a bot that could do that. I guess my clone just added a little extra... power. Vanessa seems to be in love... that wasn't on the original model."

"Well, love makes you do crazy things," Kaylee sighed, "So, if the city's eyes are spinning in the other direction, what does that mean?"

"They aren't under a love spell," Dawn furrowed her brow as she tried to think back, "The blueprint for Venjix' original design were for simple hypnotism. He could control anyone under his spell. I guess when my clone created H-07, she didn't remove that feature."

Kaylee grinned, "Aha, now we know what's going on!"

"Slow down, there Danger," Kira frowned, "What does this have to do with Leanne?"

"Well," Dr. K started, "Though hypnotism could be effective for rallying people together for a common cause, they would still need that common cause. T15 and H-07 wouldn't be aware of how society functions. If H-07's been living with us in the city for a few days, since Dani's return at least, then they would have heard the news of Leanne coming to town with a new medical system. Hypnotism could help the population escalate their anger until it's exaggerated and, bam, Leanne's shot, people are angry and we as a team have no idea what's going on."

Kaylee nodded, "Becca, You can work on reversing the hypnosis for Vanessa. We got what we needed from her. I'm going to call everyone who's missing and get them back here. That includes getting Leanne out of the hospital."


	51. Not Out of the Woods Yet

_Author's Note: Sorry about the unusual lack of updates. My schedule got pretty busy and, just as it starting to slow, I started feeling a little under the weather. At least it hasn't been a full week though._

_Anyways, I'm back. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!_

While Dr. K was busy with Vanessa, Kaylee, Kira and Tori stepped into the Garage as Kaylee grabbed her communicator. She needed to contact Summer to tell her to get Leanne home as soon as possible. She was also going to need to call Ronny to see if the professional driver and her doctor husband would be willing to watch over Leanne as she recovered.

"First things first," Kaylee said, putting her communicator to her mouth, "Summer, are you there?"

"_Yeah. What's up?"_

Kira smiled, hearing her daughter's voice. It seemed like so long ago since she was able to be a part of Summer's life. Now that Corinth and NewTech could work together, she could look forward to being with her youngest child every day.

"Are you with Leanne?"

"_Yeah,"_ Summer's reply came, before there was muttering from Leanne and Dillon on the other end. Kaylee, Kira and Tori just barely made it out.

"_Dillon, that's not a wall!"_

"_Then what the he– ohh... sorry."_

"_Yeah."_

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Tori frowned.

"_Nothing," _Summer answered quickly before the three mothers heard a loud _CLANK_. _"Dammit, that hurt!"_

Kaylee rolled her eyes, "Summer, I need you to get Leanne back home as soon as possible."

"_Already working on it," _Dillon laughed. _"Well, as best as we can."_

"_Crawling on two legs and one arm is hard as hell!"_ the mothers heard Leanne complain.

"Okay, seriously, I want answers," Kira growled.

"_Oh, hey guys!"_ Leanne chirped.

"Why are you crawling?" Kira asked.

"_We're in the hospital vent system," _Summer answered, _"But we gotta go. I think we found the exit. We'll meet you back at the base."_

"Wait, Summer..." Kaylee started, but she trailed off as Summer's voice interrupted her.

"_That's a long way down."_

"_Wait, I got this,"_ Dillon said, _"We'll do like we did to get up, just backwards."_

"_Here we go again,"_ Leanne sighed, _"This is going to be wrong on so many..."_

Kira grabbed the communicator and slammed it shut, causing the Hanson girls to frown.

"Every time I end a conversation, I'm left with more questions than answers," Kira explained, "And knowing what direction there's was about to take, I'm really starting to like this streak."

Tori patted the yellow Dino Ranger on the back while Kaylee opened the communicator once more to contact Ronny.

-----RPM-----

Dr. K had finished with Vanessa, running a few tests on her to make sure she was back to normal, before letting her go. Vanessa found her way to the stairs, passing by the three mothers on her way. She made it to the boys' bedroom and knocked gently.

"Who is it?" she heard Hayden ask.

"It's... uh... it's Vanessa," she called nervously, "Is Mike there?"

There was a silence as Vanessa heard shuffling across the floor. Suddenly the door crept open and Hayden peeked out.

"I'm guessing you wanna talk with him, right?" she asked.

"Yeah... do you mind?"

Hayden swung the door open, allowing the older girl to pass as she headed for the stairs.

Vanessa stepped into the room and saw Mike on her bed. It was obvious he had been crying, and she knew why.

"Mikey..." she called sweetly, sitting beside him and taking his hand, "I'm so..."

"I know," Mike smiled through the tears as he wrapped his arms around her, "You were hypnotised. It wasn't your fault."

"Still..." Vanessa sighed, "I didn't mean anything I said to you back then... I love you."

"I know you do," Mike nodded, "It's okay..."

"You're not mad?" Vanessa asked, looking up slightly, "How are you... I turned my back on you and left... I hurt you and..."

"I've seen it all before," Mike smiled, "It's okay."

Vanessa pulled away from her boyfriend. She didn't think he was going to forgive her so easily. She had up and left him to be with another man, then when he went to confront her about it and try to take her back, she dumped him. Though she didn't mean it, she still felt guilty that the words had come out of her mouth when she didn't mean it. She felt terrible because she had caused him so much needless hurt.

Mike noticed her uncomfortable look and smiled softly.

"I love you too," he whispered, "We'll get over this, I promise. That busboy's never going to show his face around this city unless he wants..."

"He hypnotised me," Vanessa explained, "That's why I was acting so strangely."

"I saw the eyes spinning;" Mike nodded, "that's how I knew you didn't mean what you said. I'll admit, it hurt, but knowing what he did to you hurt me a lot more. I love you."

"I love you, too," Vanessa smiled, "But I've got to make it up to you. I know what he wants."

"Yeah, you," Mike said, wrapping his arms around her, as if claiming her, telling the busboy she was his, and only his. Vanessa looked up sadly.

"His name is H-07," she breathed, "He's a T15 attack-bot, made to look like human. He's hypnotised the entire city to rebel against the Rangers and your Aunt using facts. I'm afraid that even after you pull them out of their spell, they'll all have a reason to keep this rebellion going."

-----RPM-----

Hayden's feet touched the Garage floor just as her mother and Aunts got in contact with Ronny. She squirmed her way between Kira and Tori to listen in.

"Ron, think you and Doc could come here and take care of Leanne, we're..."

"_Sorry, Kayl,"_ Ronny interrupted, _"We've got our own little crisis here."_

"A crisis?" Hayden frowned, "Is Dani okay?"

"_Yes, thank God for that,_" Ronny sighed in relief.

"What happened?" Hayden asked with a great deal of concern in her voice.

"_Dani tried suicide,"_ Ronny explained, _"Don't worry though, we've got this under control. She's about to say why so I've gotta go. We'll be at the Garage once we deal with this."_

Suddenly, the line went dead.

Kira looked between her sisters and niece, "We're fucked."

-----RPM-----

Ronny shut off the communicator and looked to Dani, "Whenever you're ready, Nascar."

Dani took a big breath as she prepared herself to tell the events of her trip to the future.

"I landed in the year 2050... Aunt Kaylee just died. Hayden was still mad at her and Mike and it caused this entire family to break apart... Engel talked to me and invited me to the Garage, where the family get-together was being held just after the burial. There I met future Hayden and we talked. That's how I knew how to help Hayden."

"You were in the future?" David breathed in shock. He didn't think it was possible. He knew Kaylee had gone to the past once, and he knew that Dani could run at such a speed she could slow down time for herself, but he didn't know time travel into the distant future was something that would ever happen in his lifetime.

"I saw mom," Dani nodded, looking down at her hands. She couldn't face her parents or Greg, not after what she had done, "I was told you were dead, dad. Mom told me you died in an ambulance accident. You had just demoted yourself to paramedic and it took your life."

"That would explain how you knew before I told you," David said, "So, I guess that had you worried. That's why you didn't want me to go for it?"

Once again, Dani nodded, "You should have seen it, dad... our little family was gone. Because I skipped ahead 23 years, and because you were dead... mom was all alone. She asked me to save you."

"And you did," Ronny smiled, squeezing her husband's hand as she kept her gaze on her daughter, "But what does all this have to do with what you just did in the bathroom?"

"When dad took the paramedic job, Aunt Leanne was promoted... she managed to balance work and family perfectly... or so I was told... that's why I offered her to share your job, dad. So you could be home and you wouldn't die..."

"Okay... go on," Ronny pressed. She could tell there was more to this story.

"I fixed everything," Dani began to sob, grabbing her sheets tightly in her fists, "Hayden, Aunt K and Mike were happy, dad wasn't going to die... but it's still all screwed up."

Greg stood in the corner of the room, just watching, "Dani, what else did you see in the future?"

"It's not what I saw," Dani screamed, "It's what happened! Aunt Leanne was murdered! She was shot five times and the fifth shot killed her!"

David rushed over to Dani's side, throwing his arms around her. He now understood what had her in such a panic.

"Baby girl, you did all you could," he whispered, "If it was meant to be..."

"There were five shots, dad!" Dani yelled, pulling away from her father, almost throwing herself off the bed as she did, "Five bullets were shot when Aunt Leah got hurt! The fifth shot did kill... because of me."

"Dani, you didn't have a choice."

"It was let Aunt Leah die, and have her blood on my hands, or kill that man!"

Ronny grabbed her daughter, "Dani, look at me," she ordered. Dani turned away, but Ronny shook her gently, but forcefully to grab her attention, "Daniela, you don't have blood on your hands. No matter the outcome. If you had let Aunt Leah die, or if you shot that man."

"You don't get it..."

"And I never will," Ronny breathed, "But kiddo, no one expects you to save everyone all the time. Mistakes happen. The way I see it, it was either the shooter's life, or Aunt Leah's. You tried to save your Aunt because you knew what was going to happen if you didn't. Unfortunately, what you didn't know was that by doing so, you killed someone else."

"He wasn't supposed to die..." Dani whispered, "I'm sorry."

Ronny hugged her daughter, "It's okay," she hushed, "Once this is all over with, we'll find this guy's family and you'll apologize to them. Watch, you'll feel much better."

"No... I won't..." Dani muttered, "I can't save anyone. The future was supposed to change for the better... but I made it worst."

"The family's not broken up," Greg said, "You saved us there."

"But once they find out that the man's dead because of me..." Dani sobbed, "They just saw him fall out of the tree... anything could have happened!"

"Dani," David said, sitting beside his daughter, "Don't assume the worst. Your family loves you, no matter what. I'm sure they'll understand the choice you had to make, and I'm positive your Aunt is grateful you gave her another day to live. I know I am."

"If it makes you feel any better, we can give you some community service. Maybe you can help that guy's family for a little while until they're back on their feet," Greg suggested.

"I don't want to feel better..." Dani pulled away, deeper into her pillow, "I don't deserve it. I'm a murderer... I'm not the hero all the future yous thought I would be. I failed everyone."

Ronny looked over at David for a second before letting out a long breath. She turned back to Dani with a small smile.

"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room, got it?" she asked everyone, keeping her eyes on Dani to make sure her daughter was listening.

"Got it," David and Greg answered, while Dani simply nodded.

Ronny smiled, "Good, now, Dani, who is the biggest hero you can think of?"

"Mine?" Dani asked, "Or in general?"

"Right now. As we all live and breathe, who is the biggest hero?"

Dani shrugged, "The Power Rangers, I guess..."

"More specific, Dani," Ronny smiled, "Name one."

"You."

Ronny blushed, "Okay... Thank you... I guess, but I mean... someone else."

"Uncle Tommy?"

Ronny groaned, "The other green."

"Aunt Kaylee?" Dani asked. Ronny nodded.

"Your Aunt's been saving the world since she was about your age. And now, when all hope for humanity is lost, she and Dr. K are still working their asses off to help and give hope to everyone. Kaylee's been working on your RPM morphers since before you brats were born. She lead many of the evacuations and worked hard to make sure this city was running smoothly. She's not the perfect hero, but don't you think that would qualify?"

"Sure," Dani shrugged, "But what does this..."

"It was in 2007," Ronny started, "When the most legendary team up happened. Tommy Oliver, Adam Park, Tori Hanson, Kira Ford, Bridge Carson, Xander Bly and Kelly Holloway came out of retirement to help the Overdrive Rangers fight off Thrax. Now, I could go on and one about that..."

"I've heard this a million times," Dani groaned, rolling her eyes and turning away from her mother. Ronny chuckled.

"I know you have. But there's something I left out. The monster named Jordan wasn't destroyed. He wasn't even really a monster."

Dani and Greg both leaned in a little closer, curious as to where Ronny was going with this.

"He was a human turned mutant," Ronny said, "And he was Aunt Tori's ex boyfriend."

"Dun, dun, dun," David sang before earning a few glares, "Sorry, it just worked... go on."

Ronny turned back to her daughter, "Jordan cheated and abused Tori when they were going out, until she had enough. She broke up with him. Now, he was back, and he was angry. So was Kaylee. She was so angry, and so full of hate, that she killed him."

Dani and Greg's eyes widened. There was no way their bubbly Aunt could ever do something so dark.

"With her bare hands," Ronny added, "To put it lightly, she beat the shit out of him until his neck snapped and he died."

"That's lightly?" Greg frowned.

"You weren't there," Ronny nodded, "This would be the version I tell the kindergarten kids for story time."

"Aunt Kaylee murdered?" Dani asked.

Ronny smiled, wiping away her daughter's tears, "We all make mistakes, Dani. Sometimes, it's unavoidable. In your Aunt's case, she could have controlled herself a little better, but the situation called for it. One way or another, that was going to be Jordan's last day. It was destined for him. Just like it seems fate wanted that fifth shot to kill. If not Leanne or the shooter, then maybe it would have been you."

"Maybe it would have been better," Dani sighed.

"How?" David asked, "The Rangers would be down one. You saw how bad the future was without you, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Think it would be any better?" David smiled, "Dan, you're my daughter. I love you so much. When you were in the bathroom, I finally understood what fear was."

"I was about to lose my head!" Ronny added, "I heard you playing with the bottle of medicine. I was devastated and you still hadn't taken a pill."

"And I couldn't believe this was happening to you," Greg said, "Dani... you being here saved us. What do you think would have happened if you killed yourself?"

"I... I don't know," Dani shuttered.

"I would be pissed off," Ronny admitted, raising her hand, "I don't know about you too, but I would probably hide away from everyone."

David and Greg nodded.

"The team would fall apart, Dan," David said, "We all love you. If Leanne found out that you saving her life caused you to take her own, how would she feel?"

"Bad?" Dani tried.

"Awful, horrible, terrible!" Greg frowned, "How would the other Rangers react?"

"Sad?"

"Devastated, confused, afraid," Ronny answered, "How would we feel? Your father, Greg and I?"

"Like shit."

"I love you," Ronny whispered, pulling her daughter in close, "Don't you ever pull that stunt again, Nascar."

-----RPM-----

Summer, Dillon and Leanne had made it out of the vent system and through the deserted city. They realised everyone in Corinth was probably rallied together somewhere, allowing them time to get from the hospital to the Garage safely.

Just as Summer was about to swipe her card in the security panel by the door, when she heard footsteps. Afraid it was going to be the rebellion, she grabbed her Aunt's arm to pull her safely behind herself and Dillon.

Dillon turned as well, ready for attack until he saw Ronny, David, Greg and Dani.

"Calm down, Sunshine," he chuckled, "It's just your family. Boy you're jumpy today."

"Shut up," Summer muttered, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We promised we would come here after talking some sense into Dani," Ronny smiled. She turned to Leanne, "How's the arm."

Leanne looked to her shoulder and heart, "As fine as it can be seeing as the entire city is against me and I just got four bullets removed from my body."

"How about you?" Summer asked her cousin, seeing the red head looking a little embarrassed and shy.

Daniela looked up nervously, "I don't wanna talk about it much."

David wrapped his arms around Dani, "She's had a rough time since the shooting."

Leanne smiled, "Hey, kid," she called to Dani, grabbing the younger red head's attention, "I may have been blacking out, but I saw you speed up into the tree. I don't know what you did to keep that final shot from hitting me, but thanks."

"You're welcome," Dani said. It was barely audible, but her Aunt still heard her.

Ronny motioned to Dani so only Leanne would understand. She made a gun with her fingers and pointed it to her, before turning it on herself and pretending to shoot. She wore a look for a brief moment that made her look dead, before recomposing herself and pointing to Dani.

Leanne knew what Ronny was trying to say and nodded. She turned back to Dani, "Look, kid, no matter what happened, it'll work out for the best. Don't worry about it too much."

"Thanks," Dani mumbled.

"I'm serious," Leanne continued, "It takes guts to stand up to a shooter. You really saved me back there. I owe you."

Dani looked up slightly, "I saved you?"

"I told you," Ronny smiled to her daughter, "It didn't work out like you thought it would, but the family is together and your father and Leanne are still alive."

"Okay," Dillon frowned, swiping his car to open the doors, "The rebellion's not going to hold itself off until the rest of us understand what the hell is going on. Why don't we go inside and help the others?"

"Good idea," David laughed, "C'mon, Leah, let me have a look at those bullet holes."

David lead Leanne inside, with Ronny following right behind as they made their way to the medical room. Summer and Dillon went the other way, where Kaylee, Kira, Tori, Dawn, Vanessa and the Rangers were waiting on the couch.

Dani took a deep breath before smiling. She had stopped the miserable future from coming true. Granted, she did go about it in a different way then she hoped she would, but everything was going to work out for the best. Her family was happen, and everything was going to be okay.

She just had to make sure she made it up to the shooter's family: whether he was a murdered or not, the ones who loved him did deserve a little closer. Dani didn't expect them to forgive her, but she did want them to know that she felt terrible for their loss.

But right now, her family still needed her.

"Now that everyone's here I can fill you all in on what's going on," Vanessa said, "Believe me, it's going to be hell."


	52. Solutions

"H-07's leading a rebellion," Vanessa began as everyone took their seats to listen. Even after coming out of the hypnotic trance, she still had her memories. She was fully aware of what H-07 was planning and she was passing on the news to the others, "He's using Leanne's change in laws to rally up the city against a common cause. Now, everyone's used that, and the shooting incident to branch off and found their own reasons to rebel."

Dani was last to arrive at the seating area. She took her spot on the arm of the couch and listened close.

"H-07 hypnotised the population, just like he did to me, to get them to follow him..."

"Wait," Dani interrupted, "They were hypnotised? This wasn't a free-will thing?"

Vanessa shook her head, "H-07 had it all planned out. Every civilian was a victim. They were just puppets..."

Dani started feeling sick. Ronny and Greg turned to her with sympathetic looks.

"I killed him," Dani whispered, "The shooter... I shot him."

Vanessa sighed, "Look, Dani, it was the only thing you could do..."

"But he was innocent," Dani breathed. She had just made peace with the fact that she killed the man trying to murder her aunt. At least, with that fact, the shooter was guilty of a crime, and Dani had been acting to protect Leanne. Now, she was learning that the shooter, the man she killed, wasn't guilty of any crime. He was just as innocent as anybody else.

Vanessa continued with her explanation, "When Kaylee came onto the scene and tried getting information from civilians about Leanne's condition and what happened, H-07 twisted it, making everyone believe that RPM was only out for personal gain and protection. With help from the hypnosis, he managed to convince everyone that you were the bad guys."

"So, they're rebelling against all of us?" Tori asked, "Well, all of them. I'm just the parent..."

"But you're family," Vanessa added, "It's the Ranger family, looking out for number one."

"We're so screwed," Kira grumbled, falling back into the couch. Kaylee got up, running to the communication line to contact the colonel. As the screen came up, all she saw was angry civilians and the busboy, who everyone now knew was H-07. Kaylee shut down the link before she was noticed. Her face was white as she looked back at everyone.

"What the hell..."

"Military officers are angry because they have no work. With the Rangers out fighting T15 and keeping the city in order, there's very little left for them do to aside from setting the controls to change the seasons," Vanessa said, "The Doctors are angry because Leanne's forcing them to work longer hours, and the government hasn't even brought up the topic of raising their pay to compensate. The farmers are pissed because they no longer have a source of income due to the food boomer being in government hands, and the civilians, well they don't feel protected by the government."

"So, the question is, is there a link?" Dillon stroked his chin thoughtfully before Summer slapped him in the stomach.

"Don't joke, Dillon," she frowned, "This is serious."

"Whether you pull everyone out of the trance or not, they still have a reason to rebel. You gotta admit, H-07's plan is pretty brilliant," Vanessa pointed out.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the doors and voices yelling to be allowed in. Dr. K checked the security video before opening the doors.

"It's the rest of the Ranger family," she said, "We should let them in before anything happens to them."

The doors opened as the people walked in. Everyone associated to the Rangers either by being past Rangers themselves, or by marriage into the Ranger family, and even the children of former Rangers were all coming in to safety.

Greg greeted his parents, hugging his mother and clasping hands with his father, thankful they made it to safety.

Kira came over to Kelly, RJ and Hannah, showing them where to dump the things they managed to bring. Without much knowledge on why the city was rebelling, they didn't know how long they would be out of their house for. They packed the essentials: toothbrushes, towels, blankets (for the night), bananas and pizza for RJ.

Tori and Mike ran over to the remaining Bradley's. Mike grabbed Jason in a brotherly hug while Tori scooped up Elena in her arms and leaning in to kiss Blake.

Dustin found his sister in the middle of the group and brought her to the couch with Dawn.

Kaylee saw Tommy and Jason as they walked in last and waved them over.

"Is this seriously everybody who stayed in Corinth?" she asked, counting the heads. The Rangers made nine, plus her mentoring crew, which was composed of herself, Dr. K, Ronny, and the Boom-Twins, that made five, or fourteen altogether. Add in the other usuals, such as Samantha, Christian, Engel, Dustin, David, Dawn and now Sierra, which was seven, or twenty-one. Finally, the random few people visiting from NewTech or who lived in Corinth but weren't part of Project Ranger, Vanessa the Bradleys, Kira, the Hartfords, Leanne, the James, Tommy and Jason, which counted fourteen, bringing the final total to thirty-five.

"Kayl, there's a lot of people," Ronny chuckled, "We're cramped on this couch."

Kaylee turned around, spotting her Rangers and mentors squished on the couches as people tried to find room to sit.

"What's going on in the city?" Tommy asked, "Jason and I turned on the news this morning and they announced a take-over."

Kaylee grinned at her former teacher, "Boy, you and Jason spend a lot of time together."

"Kaylee, shut up," Tommy growled, "You've gotta stay focused."

"Hey, my house, my rules. If you won't live by it, I suggest you leave!"

Tommy rolled his eyes as he leaned against one of the cars, deciding it was best to leave her be at the moment.

"Okay, so what's going to happen?" Tori asked her sister as she put Elena on the ground so the little girl could go play with her cousin Christian. Though he was still young, Christian was fully aware Elena was blind, and now understood what that meant. He gently took her hand and guided her through the crowd.

"I have new toys, wanna play with me?" he asked her, quickly finding the playroom. Elena nodded and smiled as she disappeared.

Kaylee smiled at the sight, but turned back to her sister, "I have no clue."

"We've been in a crisis before," Scott stated, "We've overcome a famine. This should be easy."

"Yeah, but during the famine, the common cause was 'Kaylee, we're hungry, feed us please!' not 'Kaylee, you bitch, die'."

"Actually," Leanne said, pushing through the crowd to sit, using the excuse that her shoulder was making her feet hurt, "They want me dead."

"It doesn't matter," Kaylee frowned, "The fact of the matter is we've got to figure out what the hell we're going to do. Obviously these people aren't going to give up on any call."

"They do have a right to be mad," Dustin pointed out, "Sorry to say this, babe, but you do look guilty of what you've been accused of."

"Dustin's right," Blake nodded, earning a deadly glare from Kaylee. He backed away behind his son Jason (Kaylee would never hurt him) and continued to explain, "The people do have a point. The military's been doing squat lately because you go to the Rangers for problems. Doctors should get a raise if you want them to work more hours, the farmers have been struggling to make ends meet now that they can't produce any income, and the civilians... well, they are wrong, but I see where they're coming from. You put the Rangers first."

"You know I care about the city though... I'm just not good at it," Kaylee grumbled.

"Why don't we try and find a solution before we talk to the rebellion?" Jason suggested. Tommy nodded, agreeing with his best friend.

"We can't go out there and tell them to chill," he added.

Scott smiled, "Dad and I have been talking. He's brought up the fact that he and his men have nothing to do now that we care for the city and defend it."

"That doesn't help me," Kaylee groaned, "What should I do?"

"Well, it would help everyone if you divided the tasks," Kira said, "Back in NewTech, the Rangers defended the city, and the SPD officers worked the streets. Preventing crimes and keeping peace."

"Sounds good," Kaylee nodded.

Rebecca grabbed a clipboard and quickly took note, before ideas became too complicated for anyone to remember.

"We've got the military figured out," she said, "Now the doctors."

Leanne's eyes rolled up as she thought, "Doctors already work a lot," she frowned, "Increasing their pay will help for a while, but what happens when they get tired?"

"We could hire more doctors," David suggested, "I could check the universities, see if there are people qualified for on the spot training? More workers, less hours."

"One problem," Kelly said, "We're in an enclosed city. How many people do you think are going into medicine, never mind ready to jump into their careers at the drop of a hat?"

"Kelly's right," RJ nodded, "We've only got a limited number of people in every field."

"I work at the university," Rose stated, "Because Corinth's population is small so are the classes. The chances that you find a student in the medical field ready to consider a life in a hospital or a doctor's office are slim to none."

"So, there's no way we're hiring anytime soon?" David asked. Rose shook her head.

"I don't have those classes," she said, "I'm just saying. My biggest class this year has five students."

"A lot of people died in the famine," Hayden reminded her uncle. "So our already small population got smaller."

"Not to mention the fact that the need for workers is increasing," Mack sighed, "A lot of kids are jumping right into the workforce without bothering to go to university or college. Hartford Industries pretty much runs on them. Probably a good 2% of my employees have a degree in something."

Kaylee crossed her arms as she glared at the Hartford couple, "I hate you both right now... Party poopers."

"Sorry, Kayl," Rose chuckled, "I'm just trying to stay realistic."

"Well realistic just bit me in the ass," Kaylee grumbled, "Corinth is loaded with money, but I'm not going to have enough to support the Farmers with their income and raise the pay of every doctor!"

"So I'm not getting a raise?" David frowned, "Dammit."

"You don't need the money anyways," Dillon smirked, "You're loaded. Ronny's a champion Nascar driver, she's worth millions. You're the best doctor in the city, with the biggest salary. Not to mention your pay for helping project Ranger and Dani's little cut for being a Ranger."

"Yeah... we're rich," Ronny laughed.

"We're all rich," Leanne pointed out, "Well, Corinth is."

"Speak!" Kaylee smirked, "I might be able to mooch money off you guys to help the city."

"Kelly and RJ are loaded," Leanne pointed to the couple. Their faces dropped as they were thrown under the bus.

"Thanks..." Kelly frowned.

"No, let me explain. Between owning the JKP chain, and Storm Chargers, you guys are pretty steady. You've got money, money to spare, and loads left over."

"Not that much," RJ frowned. Leanne raised her brow.

"RJ..."

"Okay, but we're not as loaded and some other Corinth families," RJ cleared his throat and turned to Tori and Blake, "Mrs Wind Ninja Sensei and store owner and Mr. Moto-millionaire-champ."

"Your point?" Blake asked.

"Then, Kaylee!" Leanne continued, looking to Kaylee, "You've got so much money, between your singing career, working at Cyberspace, Operation Overdrive, JKP and being head of the military! Your ass is made of gold."

"Oh," Dustin grinned.

"DAD!" Hayden screamed, covering her eyes, "Not now... not ever! EW!"

"It's how I made you," Dustin shrugged.

"Dad..." Samantha warned, backing up her sister. Neither girl wanted to hear this.

"Okay, so Kelly, Tori, Kaylee and Ronny are loaded," Dillon frowned, "What does this have to do?"

"The city doesn't have the money to support the doctors and Farmers, but if you pool all your extra money together, I'm sure you can provide everyone in the city with a comfortable living for a year."

"God, we're rich," Kaylee grinned, "Leanne, you're a genius!"

"She's got a Ph. D in it," Kira shrugged, "What else is new."

"So," Dr. K spoke, checking her notes, "The military wants to work more, so we'll let them by giving them the role of keeping the peace inside the city while our Rangers fight for peace against T15."

"Right," Kaylee nodded.

"The doctors either want less hours, or more pay. We can't give less hours because Kaylee doesn't like the Hartfords because they are, and I quote: 'Party poopers', for bringing up the reality of our situation. Therefore we're pooling the money of the four seven sister's living in Corinth to support the increase in pay for the doctors."

"Yessum," Kaylee giggled.

"As well as the farmers," Dr. K continued, "We'll use the money to help them with income until they find a job. What if they don't want a job? Or aren't qualified?"

"I'm ready to hire them," Mack offered, "Might as well do some to help."

"That could work," Kelly nodded, "But some farmers might be passionate about what they do. For some people, they work because it's their life. You might come across the farmer who was farming because he liked giving his city food. He liked providing people with meals every day. What about him?"

"The food boomer!" Gem and Gemma shouted happily.

"We can make more for them, that way..."

"... they still have a chance to make food and sell it to the stores to make their income."

"It'll be just like farming, but instead of working long hours in a field..."

"... they'll be cloning food!"

"Sounds brilliant!" Kaylee cheered, clapping her hands together.

"Military, doctors and farmers are solved," Dr. K said, updating everyone. "We just need the everyday person."

"How to make them feel protected?" Sierra asked.

Vanessa spoke up after a long period of silence, "H-07 used the shooting as an excuse. Kaylee disregarded the safety of the people to save her sister. That caused them to feel like, no matter what, RPM and family comes first."

"So, you're saying H-07's making them believe that Aunt Kaylee's always going to pull the strings to get us Rangers out of trouble, no matter what we did?" Dani asked. Vanessa nodded.

"It makes sense," she said.

"Then punish me," Dani called, standing up, "I murdered an innocent man. I don't care if my actions are justified or not. If you let me slip through the cracks, you won't be helping yourself, Aunt K."

"Dani..." Ronny frowned, placing her hand on her daughter's arm gently, "We've talked about this. You've agreed to community service..."

"That was before I learned that man was innocent!" Dani breathed, "Unless I do this, I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"Dan..." Greg started, but Kaylee cut him off.

"Let her speak," she smiled, "What are you saying, Dani?"

Dani stepped over to her Aunt, "Can we talk privately for a minute?"

Kaylee looked out at the faces crowding the garage and nodded.

"You guys can figure out where the hell you're all going to stay. Dani and I are going to be in the other room."


	53. A Second Chance

Daniela and Kaylee had been talking in the other room for hours now, without a word from them. Samantha watched the door nervously, hoping her mother and cousin would soon come out.

Everyone had fallen asleep in that time. The Rangers had retreated to their bedrooms, except for Scott who was lying right next to Samantha, passed out. The allies, family members and mentors found a place to sleep wherever they could. Dr. K invited Gem and Gemma to sleep in her room, so their bedroom could be used for some of the guests to have a place to sleep.

Christian had offered to let Elena and Jason share his room with him. They made a game out of it, building forts out of blankets and pillows and fell asleep in there.

Everyone who wasn't fortunate enough to find a bed, or a quiet room to sleep, was left in the garage. It wasn't uncomfortable, but falling asleep with someone at your head and at your feet was far from normal, making it slightly awkward.

But, everyone had, in fact, fallen asleep. Samantha was the only one awake due to Engel crying in the middle of the night. Now, she was cradling her eleven month old daughter and keeping her eye on the door.

Occasionally she would hear a few sobs coming from the other side, followed by some mumbling. It worried Samantha. What exactly did Dani want to talk to Kaylee about? With the way Dani phrased it earlier, it made it seem like this was going to mark the end of something, or the beginning of something terrible.

Samantha just hoped everything was going to be okay.

Engel was starting to get a little restless. She was no longer tired and wanted to move around, see all the new people.

"Ma," Engel smiled, grabbing her mother's hair. Samantha gently released her daughter's grip on her blonde curls and looked down.

"C'mon, Eva," she whispered, "It's night time. You'll see everyone tomorrow."

Samantha reached to the floor, where Engel dropped her doll, and gave it back to her daughter, hoping Engel would understand that meant she was supposed to be in bed. Engel, thinking this was a game, grabbed her doll and threw it back on the floor. The little Angel doll landed roughly on the ground, face down.

"Engel," Samantha groaned, keeping one arm around her baby girl as she reached for the doll again. Just as she grabbed it, so did Engel. The little girl held her doll in her arms again before throwing it.

Samantha gave up. She left the doll on the floor and put her daughter down as well. There was no one sleeping between the couches, so Engel was safe to play there.

The little girl got to her feet, having learned to walk the month before, on Greg's birthday. The birthday boy had seen Engel trying to take a few steps and was determined to sharing a milestone with her. His seventeenth would be the day she learned to walk.

He succeeded, much to Samantha's joy, and dismay.

"Mama!" Engel called happily, poking her Aunt Tori, who was sleeping on the other couch. Samantha jumped out of her seat, and ran over to Engel, pulling the girl away from her tired Aunt.

"No," she stated firmly, "No poking the people sleeping."

Engel tried again to poke her aunt, so Samantha grabbed her arm before it could reach, pulling it away gently, yet firmly, to let Engel know what she was doing wrong.

"Engel, no," she said again.

Engel just wanted to play. She had been in her parent's or Scott's arms all day and needed to work her muscles. Mommy wasn't letting her have fun by stopping the game of throw-dolly-on-the-floor-and-watch-mommy-pick-it-up and by keeping her from touching her aunt.

Engel's face soured as she glared at her mother, "NO!" she yelled.

"Engel," Samantha whispered, "That's not funny."

Engel turned back, reaching out to Tori to poke her again. Samantha rolled her eyes. She grabbed her daughter, picking her up in her arms. She hoped that if she put Engel in her crib, her daughter would get the message.

Engel didn't like this plan. She started screaming and let all her weight fall back, almost folding over backwards. The only thing holding her up was her mother's arms around her lower body.

Samantha groaned, "Engel, c'mon, not right now. I'm really sorry, but there's no time to play right now."

"I got her," Tori smiled, suddenly taking the small girl from her niece. Samantha was surprised to see her Aunt awake, but grateful for the help.

"You're up," she said. Tori nodded.

"First time Engel poked me it was enough to pull me out of sleep," Tori smiled, "But I figured I would let you try and discipline your daughter properly."

"Yeah, well, that's not working," Samantha breathed, her eyes pointing to her little girl, "Today isn't her day."

"So many new faces but no time to explore," Tori chuckled, "Poor little girl must be so full of energy."

Engel's hand came out, grabbing Tori's nose. She starting pulling, making her Aunt's head bob up and down.

Samantha laughed, "You look goofy."

"I'll take her upstairs," Tori said, freeing her nose, "Maybe a nice warm bath and a lullaby will calm her down."

"Good luck," Samantha breathed, patting her aunt on the shoulder, "She's the devil come bedtime."

"But she'll listen to Aunt Tori, right?" Tori smiled, her voice raising a few pitches as she spoke to Engel. The little child looked up at her aunt and tilted her head.

"Why is Aunt Tori making funny noises?" Samantha spoke for her daughter. Tori playfully shoved her niece before going upstairs. She made sure Engel was resting against as her hand rubbed her back to calm her down.

Samantha turned to the couches, making her way beside Scott before collapsing on her spot. She turned her head back to the door where Kaylee and Dani walked in hours ago and sighed.

-----RPM-----

"I really don't like this idea, Dani," Kaylee sighed, taking the papers from her niece and looking them over, "It's a dangerous place, especially for you. You'll definitely get your fair share of cuts, scrapes and bruises."

"Aunt K, I'm not doing this just for you," Dani sighed, "I need to do it for me. I can't live my life knowing I got away with murder."

"It's not murder."

"It feels like it to me," Dani breathed, "I killed a man."

"I know that, but he was shooting at your Aunt. What else could you have done?"

"I don't know, and it doesn't matter. Now, he's dead."

Kaylee glanced over the papers again, "I can give you your own cell, Dani. A prison's no place for a sixteen year old girl."

"Almost seventeen," Dani reminded her aunt, "And I don't care. I don't want special treatment. You and I both know that's what got us in trouble in the first place."

"Your mother's going to kill me," Kaylee whispered.

"She'll understand. Everyone will."

Kaylee nodded slowly as she looked to the clock, then down at the paper Dani signed.

"Your sentence starts today," Kaylee frowned, "You won't be able to help us with the revolution."

"I am helping," Dani nodded.

"If everyone finds out you're in prison, they'll know you're unprotected. There's only so much anyone can do to help you in there!"

"I'll be fine, Aunt K," Dani assured the worried mentor, "Why don't we go now? The city's gone anyways. Only a few guards and inmates are going to be in the prison. If you're so worried you can help me settle in."

Kaylee took a long, deep breath, "Dan..."

Dani grabbed the handcuffs from her Aunt's desk and held them up, "You know this is something you have to do. You can't let this go again."

Kaylee's head snapped up, "What are you talking about?"

"Mom told me," Dani whispered, "She made me promise not to tell. Greg and I both know you murdered Jordan."

Kaylee sighed, "He was a monster, Dani, before and after the transformation."

"But he was human," Dani said, "You only got away with it because the outside world knew him as a monster. But you know he was human. He had a family, friends who cared about him. He was a living, breathing thing, just like the rest of us. You played God. You took a life. No matter your job, no matter the power you hold, you never have the right to do that."

"That was a long time ago."

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Dani asked, "You're implying that it doesn't matter anymore. If it doesn't, what's the harm in telling us about it? Sure, it'll set a bad example for us Rangers and your children, but it's the truth. Is it because it still hurts to know you caused his family so much grief, and you just walked away from that battle."

"I was punished for it," Kaylee murmured, "Your Aunts..."

"That means nothing to you, right?" Dani said, "Aunt K, I see it in your eyes. Just thinking about the murder..."

Kaylee winced. In so many years, this topic had never come up. And if it had, in the off chance, never had her sisters called it murder.

"The blow's been softened for you," Dani whispered, "You're hiding yourself from the truth."

"What's done is done, Dani," Kaylee sighed, "If I go to prison now, who's going to run Corinth? It's a big enough job on its own."

"I'll do this for both of us," Dani whispered.

"Dan, you'll get hurt. The prisons are totally separated. You'll be on the inside with women and men, twice your size and age."

"Aunt K, the murder's hurting you still, and it was the murder of a man, fully aware he was committing a crime; a man who abused and cheated on Aunt Tori. He was a man who let himself turn into the monster you killed. If you can't live that down, what makes you think I'll be able to live with the fact that I murdered an innocent man?"

"Promise me you'll stay safe," Kaylee whispered, placing a cuff around Dani's wrist. Dani nodded. She knew Kaylee wouldn't put the other cuff on until they reached prison grounds.

"I promise," she said.

"And if anyone, guy or girl, old or young even thinks about touching you or hurting you, you let me know as soon as you can," Kaylee said, "Any one makes you uncomfortable and you call me."

"Aunt K..."

"I'm serious, Dani," Kaylee sighed, "It happens. It's illegal, and I wish I could stop it, but it happens. No prisoner should go through that."

"I promise," Dani nodded.

"C'mon," Kaylee opened a window so they could sneak out, "If the others catch wind of this before you're behind bars they'll try and stop us both."

"Never thought I would hear you say that," Dani laughed. She hopped onto the grass as Kaylee snuck out and closed the window, keeping it unlocked so she could get back inside.

Kaylee turned to Dani, "I wish I could have done what you're doing now," she whispered, "I didn't want to go to prison when I killed Jordan. I let my punishment be the one my sisters gave me. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair to Jordan's family, to his brother..."

Kaylee paused, remembering her abduction during her pregnancy. Jordan's brother was so filled with anger and grief over his brother's death, he didn't know what to do with it. It wasn't totally his fault for lashing out like he had. His brother's killer had never been properly punished. Kaylee knew that if someone killed Tori, whether it was with good reason or not, she would go crazy, especially if that person walked away.

"Thank you for doing this," she whispered, pulling her niece in a hug.

-----RPM-----

H-07 was in the command center, sitting in Colonel Truman's chair. The civilians were scattered around him, each waiting for Kaylee and the Rangers to come out of hiding so they could begin the rebellion.

All the men in the military had been hypnotized, even the Colonel. No one was fighting H-07. No one would be willing to help the Rangers and the family.

H-07 put his feet up on the desk as he watched the security footage from the Ranger base. He saw Kaylee and Dani sneaking out, wondering what they were up too.

His feet didn't stay on the desk for long as he got out of the chair. He put on Colonel Truman hat and walked off.

He wanted to intercept Kaylee and bring her to the rebellion. Once their leader was gone, the Rangers would crumble and T15 could take over the world, but he knew he couldn't do that.

Kaylee would gladly give herself up to the rebellion, making the Rangers fight harder. H-07 wasn't human, but he knew how they would respond. A mother would protect her children, at any cost.

H-07 had a better plan. If he wanted to weaken the team, he had to break them all. Taking Kaylee would make them stronger.

If he took someone else and offered a trade, Kaylee would come of her own free will. Nothing would hurt the Rangers more than knowing their beloved mentor and mother walked away from them.

He just needed a target.


	54. Samantha's Sacrifice

"These are the two buildings," Kaylee started, finally putting the other handcuff on Daniela's wrist as they stepped onto the prison grounds. "Men and women sleep and eat in different buildings, but the recreation area and the work areas are shared. There's not much room for two different prisons when you live in a dome."

Kaylee looked down at her niece, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Daniela nodded, "Positive, Aunt Kaylee."

Over in the distance, H-07 ducked behind a rock. Though his plan was to go after Kaylee, he knew he couldn't do so directly. He needed a sure-fire way to get her in his grasp willingly. He needed to find her weakness.

He was following her, listening close to her conversation with Daniela so he could listen and hear if Kaylee mentioned a close relative; a husband, a sister, a parent, or a child.

He poked out from the rock and scurried closer to the two women, keeping his ears in tune with the conversation.

"Once you're inside, you're pretty much on your own," Kaylee warned Daniela as they approached the gates. "I can come if you're having an emergency, but it's the guard's responsibility to take care of you."

"I know all this," Dani whispered, "Just promise me you'll break the news gently when you get home."

Kaylee sighed, "Everyone's going to be upset."

"Mom, Dad and Greg will understand... sort of..." Dani trailed off, thinking of the people who loved her most.

"What should I tell the Rangers?" Kaylee asked, "They're going to be one brat down."

Daniela shrugged, "I honestly didn't think about this, Aunt K. I'm going to have my own problems."

She motioned to the prison before her. Over the large walls she could hear people working in the yard. She shivered slightly as she thought about her punishment. Yes, she had asked for it, but she was still very afraid of what was going to happen behind those walls.

"I'm a little worried about Hayden," Kaylee admitted, "Poor baby's going to be crushed when she hears her best friend is in prison."

H-07 smirked from his hiding spot, turning to leave before he was spotted.

"She'll be fine," Daniela smiled, "Hayden and I aren't glued to the hip."

"You used to be," Kaylee teased. She approached the gate where the guard was waiting, grabbing onto her niece's upper arm.

The guard got off his chair, saluting the commander. Unlike most of Corinth city, the prison hadn't been touched by H-07. Many of the guards and officers lived in the building. They didn't go out very much. It was only the few unfortunate who had been hit.

The prisoners had also not been touched. There was no TV and no escaping Corinth's Prison. As far as they knew, life was still better outside the walls.

"Daniela Marks," Kaylee stated, signing Daniela into the prison.

"What did she do?" the guard asked.

"Murder," Kaylee said. The guard looked at the Ranger.

"Really?" he asked, "You're putting one of your own in for murder?"

"Unintentional," Kaylee explained, "But being a Ranger means you have power. If I let her get away with this, who knows what'll happen down the road."

The guard looked down as Kaylee finished singing all the papers. Normally Daniela would have to go to court and have a fair trial, but the guard was aware of what was going on in the city. He didn't know how it was happening or all the details, but he knew a fair trial would be almost impossible to do.

As long as Kaylee's signature was on the forms for now, Dani was a prisoner.

"C'mon, kid," he said, opening the gates and pulling Dani in. "Welcome to your new home for the next..."

He trailed off as he looked at the papers Kaylee handed to him, searching for Daniela's prison sentence, "Two weeks."

Daniela turned to Kaylee, "That's it? But I murdered..."

"Unintentional murder," Kaylee reminded her niece. "Two weeks should be long enough for you to reflex on your actions and think about how you're going to make it up to that man's family."

Daniela smiled, "Thanks."

-----RPM-----

Covered by the night, H-07 made it safely to the RPM Ranger base. He knelt down under the window Kaylee had foolishly left unlocked. Slowly, his hand made it to the base of the window and he, very gently, pushed it up.

When the window was open enough for him to fit through the gap, he snaked his way in. He checked the room quickly; making sure no one else was inside before closing the window and locking it.

"Maybe now you'll learn to keep a better eye on your family, Kaylee," he grinned, looking out the window for a moment.

With the window locked, H-07 only had a few minutes on his hand before Kaylee returned home. Once she saw the window was locked, she would most likely assume someone was inside the house, and he wasn't supposed to be.

H-07 tiptoed to the door and pressed his ear against it. He heard nothing except snoring. Quietly, he opened the door, staying low to the ground in case someone was awake.

He was looking for Kaylee's baby: baby Hayden. He didn't know as much as he should about humans. He just knew they were a threat.

To him, baby was the first stage of physical human development. The fact that it could also be used as a loving nickname was lost on him and never crossed his mind.

"Where would Kaylee keep her baby?" he whispered to himself as his eyes looked at every former ranger, or Ranger ally sleeping in the main room of the garage. None of them looked to be in the baby stage.

However, from upstairs he could hear a soft voice singing. Hoping the baby would be there; he made his way to the stairs and traveled up.

There were three doors before him, and one on the other side of the room. H-07 wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, so he checked the door on the left.

He opened it gently, finding three children inside. Two were boys, one was a girl. Hayden was a unisex name, so any one of them could have been baby Hayden. But H-07 had enough knowledge on Kaylee to learn her only two babies were girls.

He had no idea Kaylee adopted Christian. Thankfully, for Christian, the robot closed the door and moved to the next room. None of the kids in the first room were in the baby stage of life. H-07 assumed they weren't who he was looking for.

In the next room, H-07 saw the female Rangers, sleeping soundly. They were definitely too old to be babies. Just like that, he turned around and went to the final room.

The singing grew louder as H-07 opened the door. He peeked inside, seeing a blonde woman cradling a baby in her arms, singing the soothing song as the child slept.

"Perfect, he whispered, stepping inside.

Tori's head snapped up when she saw a figure walking into the room. She didn't recognise him as any of her friends or family. The figure shut the door quietly, as not to wake the child, before Tori heard something strange.

"Who are you?" she asked, her grip on Engel tightening.

H-07 had to make sure he got his hands on the baby. If the woman presented too much of a nuisance and chose to fight, he didn't want anyone else to come in. With an upgrade T15 had given him, he managed to fuse the door to the wall, keeping it from opening.

He turned around and smiled.

"Give me the baby."

"What?" Tori frowned, "Who are you? What the hell do you want?"

"You mean you don't recognise me?" H-07 asked, playfully pretending to be hurt, "And you wonder where the dumb blonde saying comes from. I've only been running your city for the past couple of days."

Tori's eyes widened, "You're H-07, that demonic T15 attack bot! You're behind all this."

"Congratulations," H-07 clapped very slowly as he moved in closer, "As a reward, I'll take that smelly baby off your hands."

"What the hell do you want with her?" Tori asked, holding Engel closer to her chest, trying to keep her safe.

"I need something," H-07 smirked, "A tool, if you will, to get to Kaylee's heart. I need her in my hands, and I need the Rangers begging for mercy."

"And you plan on using a child to do that?" Tori scowled, "You're a monster."

"I followed Kaylee on my way here," H-07 grinned, "Heard her mention her baby's name. Human mothers share such a strong bond with their children and are willing to do anything for them. What better way to get Kaylee in my hands, then to have her walk right into them."

"Now," H-07 extended his hand, "Give me baby Hayden."

Tori frowned. She looked at Engel.

"Baby Hayden?"

"Are you really that stupid?" H-07 growled, "The baby, in those things you call arms. Give me the baby."

Tori didn't see the point in arguing with H-07. Whether he wanted the baby, or Hayden, her family was at risk. She gently placed Engel in her crib and turned to H-07, ready to fight.

"Come get her."

H-07 charged, throwing his fists up. For a second, Tori could see the door was melted shut. She knew that would keep everyone out; everyone except Engel's mother. Angel Samantha. She not only had the power to travel wherever she wished at the drop of the hat but, unlike her sister, she had inherited Kaylee's Zwop.

Tori grabbed H-07, using his own momentum to swing him around and throw him right into the metal door. His robotic body rang loudly, most likely alerting everyone.

H-07 sunk to the ground, still very much alive and ready to fight, but he needed to regain his focus. He got back to his feet, keeping a hand on the wall for a moment while his head stopped ringing.

It seemed to be enough time for Samantha to realise the danger was coming from her daughter's room. A bright light shone in the room before H-07 felt something hit him right in the stomach.

"Bitch," he growled, grabbing Samantha's arm and pulling her down. He hopped over her body, running for the crib.

With one hand, he grabbed Engel, holding her up by an arm. Engel was awoken from her sleep and began wailing.

"Why do humans care for you so much?" H-07 asked the child, "You're smelly, and loud, and..."

He was interrupted when Samantha ran right into him, sending him into the window, cracking the glass. Engel dropped to the ground beside him.

"Don't you dare touch my daughter," Samantha growled. H-07 looked up with a smirk, making Samantha feel sick. His palms were facing towards her as they started to spark.

"Goodnight," he whispered, sending shockwaves at Sam. Tori jumped in, thankful Blake begged her to train at the Thunder academy for the year. She managed to absorb most of H-07's attack, but he was powerful. There was just enough left over to send grandmother, mother and baby across the room.

Engel cried loudly as H-07 walked towards her, again picking her up, this time by the foot.

"Leave her alone," Samantha coughed, trying to get to her feet. H-07 held Engel with both hands, finally bringing her upright. He moved so he was kneeling just in front of Samantha, holding the baby just out of her reach.

"Help me," he teased, shaking Engel, "Don't let this man take me."

Samantha tried reaching out to her daughter, but H-07 pulled her away.

"C'mon, Hayden," he said, "Let's see how long it takes Kaylee to beg for your return."

Desperate to keep Engel safe, Samantha called, "That's not Hayden!"

H-07 stopped, turning to look back at the two blondes, lying helpless on the ground.

"What did you say?"

"That's not Hayden," Samantha repeated.

"Well, then," H-07 held Engel up, looking at her, "Who is she?"

"She's my daughter," Samantha said.

"Where's baby Hayden?" H-07 grabbed Engel by the back of the neck, keeping her close to him while he moved back to Samantha, "Tell me where she is, and I'll give you your daughter back."

Samantha started to shake. She couldn't imagine putting her sister in danger, but she wanted so badly to protect her daughter. She would do anything for Engel.

But, Hayden was her little sister. Samantha also felt a need to protect her baby sister from this insane man. He already proved he was heartless enough to attack a defenceless child.

"I'm Hayden," Samantha breathed.

"S-" Tori was cut off by Samantha kicking her in the leg. The Angel turned to her Aunt.

"You would do the same for mom. I'm not throwing Hayden under the bus just to protect Engel."

H-07 frowned, "That's impossible. Kaylee mentioned Hayden being her baby."

"She meant daughter," Samantha explained, "Humans have weird names for family. Right, Aunt Bitch?"

Tori nodded hesitantly.

"You're Kaylee's daughter?" H-07 asked, "And this baby, she's yours? That would make her Kaylee's as well."

"No!" Samantha yelled, "My mom hates Engel. It was a teen pregnancy. Mom disapproved. She wants Engel gone, but doesn't have the heart to do it herself. If you want to get to her, take me."

H-07 pondered the idea.

"Please," Samantha begged, "Mom hates Engel, but she loves me dearly. She'll do anything you want to get me back safe."

"Get up," H-07 demanded, grabbing Samantha's arm to pull her to her feet. Samantha did as she was told while trying to reach for Engel to say goodbye. H-07 wasn't about to allow that. He tossed Engel over his shoulder, as if she were just some toy he didn't want to play with anymore.

Engel's small, fragile body hit the wall and she slumped to the ground, limp. Samantha screamed in horror, but it didn't last long before H-07 knocked her out cold. He broke the window with ease thanks the crack and jumped out with Samantha over his shoulder.

Tori crawled over to Engel, carefully picking up the child. Engel was still breathing, but Tori knew better than to assume the eleven month old was okay.

She looked out the window, where H-07 had left with Samantha. She understood her niece's decision to sacrifice herself for her daughter and sister. Tori would have done the same thing for Kaylee or any of her children. She just wished she could have helped out more.

Suddenly, Engel's breathing stopped.

"Oh my god," Tori breathed, going into a panic as she looked at the baby. Surely this was real. H-07 had done everything that could kill a grown man, never mind an innocent, defenceless baby. Had it not been for the fact that Engel was an Angel, she would have been dead long ago.

But her Angel body must not have been able to handle the beating. Tori feared for Engel's life, counting down the seconds before Engel slipped away.

Suddenly, the door was ripped away from the wall. Ziggy stood with the chuck of metal above his head while Mike ran into his daughter's room.

"Engel!" he screamed, seeing his daughter, seemingly lifeless, in his mother's arms.

Tori saw Hayden was frozen by the doorway and called her over.

"Engel needs you," she screamed. Hayden nodded, cutting her hands on the debris of metal left from when the door was ripped away as she ran to her niece. She grabbed Engel in her bloody hands, letting her powers work their magic.

A teary eyed Michael turned to Leanne and David, both standing by, waiting for Hayden to finish.

"Will this help?" he asked them. "Will she be okay?"

"Hayden's powers will heal her tissue and muscle wounds," David nodded, "If she got to Engel in time, she will have saved her."

Mike heard the most amazing sound in the world as his daughter once again began crying. Hayden held Engel close, relieved she managed to save her.

However, she knew her wounds had healed too fast. Her blood was able to repair the more severe damage done to Engel, but there were still many scars and bruises left on her niece's skin. Hayden was ready to bleed once more when David took Engel from her.

"She'll be fine," he whispered to both Hayden and Mike, "I'll take it from here."

"Fine?" Mike snapped, getting to his feet. The only thing stopping him from hitting the doctor was that his daughter was in David's arms, "You think she'll be fine! She was dead!"

"It's okay," Hayden breathed, touching Mike's leg, "I saved her. Doc's right..."

While Kelly went to take Mike and Hayden away from the scene, Kira stepped over the debris and knelt beside Tori, offering her hand to her older sister.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"It was H-07," Tori explained while Kira helped her up, steadying her. "He came in here, thinking Engel was baby Hayden. Samantha explained that baby was a term mothers used for their kids... but she told him she was Hayden."

"What?" Summer frowned, overhearing the conversation. Flynn would have responded too, but he had left with Doc, Mike, Hayden and Engel, thinking it was best to be with his fiancée.

"Samantha did what any mother and older sister would do," Tori explained, "She protected Engel and Hayden by sacrificing herself. H-07's got her."


	55. Daniela's First Day

Dani held her tray of food in her hands as she scanned the tables for a place to eat. When she arrived, she had been lead to her cell and showed around. She knew upon entering that her living conditions were going to be miserable, but everything in the prison was so dull and bleak. There was nothing to do in her cell because she had a cell mate. The guards didn't want to risk either girl attacking the other. Everything was bolted down to the floor or to the wall. The bed was a simple thin mattress, barely offering any comfort. The toilet was in full view and the sink looked like it hadn't been cleaned in centuries. Daniela figured it was more hygienic to not wash her hands.

Unlike the cells, the cafeteria was co-ed. Every man and women in the prison was gathered here to eat.

Suddenly, a rather large man came up behind Dani, grabbing her shoulder. Dani didn't see the man the size of the man, but figured from the weight of his hand on her shoulder that he was twice her size.

"I haven't seen you around before," his deep voice rang as his hand crunched Dani's shoulder, "You know what we do to newbies?"

The man turned Dani around roughly and slammed his large hand down on her tray, knocking the metal platter out of her hands. Daniela's meal splattered all over the ground. She looked up at the man.

"I'm sure the food here sucks anyways," she shrugged, "You could have just warned me though."

The large man chuckled, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You think you can stand up to me?" he asked before reaching a hand out, grabbing Daniela's face. Dani had to admit, she was a little surprised her head fit in the palm of his hand, but she wasn't about to back down.

"HEY!" someone yelled, throwing the man away from Dani. Daniela rubbed her face before looking up at the man so brave to stand up for her.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the man. She thought the first man was big, this guy was almost twice his size.

"Leave her alone," the second man growled.

The first man frowned and turned away. The second man looked to Dani and offered her his jell-o.

"Here, I've got to cut back," he said, tapping his round stomach. Daniela took the dessert nervously.

"Thanks," she breathed.

"Don't worry about King," the man said, pointing over his shoulder to the man who tried to beat her. Daniela leaned over to look at King, then back at the guy.

"I'm guessing he's the king of the prison?" Daniela frowned.

"First prisoner after the Venjix," the man nodded. He extended his hand, "I'm Tiny. Stick with me, and you won't have to worry about the other prisoners."

Daniela chuckled slightly, "Tiny?"

Tiny looked down at his gut, sticking out much farther than it should have, "I guess it's a little ironic. I'm the biggest person here."

"A little ironic?" Daniela smiled. Tiny glared down at her and she shut up instantly. It wasn't that she was afraid anyone in here could mess her up too badly, but she didn't want to give anyone a reason to dislike her. Especially if they could eat her. "Sorry."

"No... it's okay," Tiny chuckled, "It's my size that keeps the others away."

Tiny looked over the crowd of prisoners. Men and women alike were eating their meals, giving each other suspicious glances, as if they were all ready to kill.

Dani looked down at her herself. She wasn't tiny, but she was definitely not one of the bigger women in the prison, and if she was going to share a cafeteria with men, as well as the recreation room, she might need a little help.

"I think I'll take you up on your offer," Dani said, "Thanks."

"No problem," Tiny smiled, "I've been in here for two years now. If you need any advice on how to deal, let me know."

"Great."

"So what are you in for, Ranger?" Tiny asked, nudging Daniela slightly. She looked up at him, horrified.

"How did you..."

"We're cut off from the outside world, but that doesn't mean news doesn't travel," Tiny said, "You're Kaylee's niece, aren't you?"

"Technically," Daniela nodded, "My mom and Kaylee are best friends... I'm Daniela Marks."

"Daniela..." Tiny frowned, rubbing his chin, "I thought you were the season one... Autumn?"

"Summer," Daniela corrected, "Summer McKnight."

"Then who are you?" Tiny asked.

"Daniela Marks," Dani repeated, "The Silver RPM Ranger. Summer's the yellow one."

"Last I remember it was only Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink and Green."

Daniela nodded, "Yeah, and then they added Gold and Silver."

Tiny shrugged, "As long as the dome is safe, I guess," he said, "But you still haven't answered my question."

"Murder," Daniela whispered, "It's a long story. I killed in innocent man in an attempt to save my Aunt."

"Ranger gone rogue," Tiny smiled, "I wondered how long it was going to take until one of them snapped. I was just a small boy when your Aunt was a Ranger."

Tiny saw Daniela's smirk and frowned, "And when I say small, I meant it. I wasn't born this big."

"Sorry," Daniela laughed, "I shouldn't be making fun of you if I want you to look out for me. So what are you in for?"

"Let's not talk about it," Tiny sighed, "All you need to know is that I feel terrible for doing it."

Daniela looked at the clock. Before the guard had left her to fend for herself he had told her she needed to be back in her cell for 11:00. Now it was five minutes too. She extended her hand to shake Tiny's.

"Glad to meet you, Tiny."

"Glad to meet you, Red," Tiny smiled, "All inmates need a nickname. I think it fits."

Daniela played with her hair for a moment before slurping up the jell-o Tiny gave her. She motioned to the door.

"I've got to go," she said, "Meet my cell mate, see if I should sleep with one night open."

"I'll be here in the morning, eating breakfast. I'll see if I can save you some fresh toast."

-----RPM-----

Mike sat by Engel's bedside, holding her small hand in his. Hayden sat opposite of him. She placed her hand on top of his and looked up at him gently.

"She'll be fine," she whispered, "Every baby gets a few bumps and bruises."

"She was dead," Mike sighed, "What the hell could have happened in that room?"

Tori walked in, finding her son and niece watching Engel. She approached Mike, wrapping her arms around him.

"How is she?"

"She'll live," Mike nodded. He turned to his mother. She was the only person in the room when he got there. She would be the only person to know what happened.

Tori took a breath, knowing what he was going to ask just by the look in his eyes.

"H-07," she said, "He came in, demanding for the baby. We thought he wanted Engel until he said your name, Hayden."

"Mine?" Hayden frowned, "What does he want with me?"

"He wants Kaylee," Tori sighed, "Look, long story short, he attacked us. I was upstairs trying to get Engel to sleep when he walked in. I put her in her crib so I could fight him off. Samantha heard when I threw him against the door..."

"We all did," Hayden interrupted, "But we were stuck behind the door. It wouldn't open."

"He fused it shut," Tori explained. "Either way, Samantha appeared in the room, and tried to fight him off, but H-07 seemed to be toying with us. Before we knew it, he had us both on the ground, and Engel in his grasp. He said he wanted baby Hayden."

"What?"

"Samantha explained that you weren't a baby, and he had the wrong person. So when he asked where you were, Samantha told him she was you."

"She did?" Hayden frowned, "Why?"

"It's an older sibling thing," Tori explained, "Protect the little brat, no matter what."

"First he takes my girlfriend then attacks my daughter and now my cousin?" Mike growled, "I'm going to kill that bastard."

"Calm down," Hayden said, "We've gotta figure out his plan."

"He's a T15 bot," Tori said, "He's going to want what she wants. The end of the Rangers and Corinth."

"Wait... repeat that," Mike grinned.

"I'd rather not," Tori frowned, "It's a grim thought."

"No, you just gave me an idea!"

"After 19 years!" Hayden cheered, "Someone's home!"

Mike pushed his cousin away playfully, "Shut up, brat."

He jumped up from his seat and kissed his daughter's forehead gently, "Take care of her. Make sure nothing happens. I'm going to see if we can turn the tables."

With that, Mike bolted out of the room, grabbing his mother by the arm. He needed to alert the others.

Just as he sped out the door, Kaylee walked in grumbling something as she reached for the band-aids. She opened one up, ready to put it on her arm where a branch swiped at her arm as she snuck through the garden until she saw there was a small body in the hospital bed. She turned slowly, eyes locking on Hayden.

"Is that..."

Hayden nodded, "H-07 attacked. He took Sammy, hurt Engel and Aunt Tori. According to her, he was after me."

"That son of a bitch!" Kaylee screamed, "What the hell happened?"

"Where have you been?" Hayden questioned. Everyone had been upstairs when they heard the loud clank of H-07's body hitting the metal door. Kaylee and Dani were the only ones missing.

"I'll tell you later," Kaylee frowned, "How is she?"

Hayden looked down at Engel, "I saved her... thank god... but she's still gotta recover. Downside to spontaneous regeneration is that I heal before my blood can fully heal others."

"We've gotta stop H-07 before anything else happens," Kaylee sighed, "The entire city's a victim to him, and they don't even know it."

Hayden motioned to the door, "Mike ran out of here saying he had an idea. You should go see what he's talking about. I'll stay here with Engel."

"What are we going to do about your sister?" Kaylee asked.

"I think that's all a part of Mike's plan. Now go out there and listen to him."

Kaylee nodded, following in her nephew's footsteps. Hayden looked down at her niece and sighed.

"I can't wait to see H-07's body melted down and recycled," she whispered, "I'm sure you're thinking the same thing."

-----RPM-----

The guard locked the door behind Dani as the red head stepped into her cell. It was dark, seeing as the lights had been shut off. Dani grabbed her small pillow from the corner and made her way to the bunk bed.

She saw her cell mate had claimed the bottom one. Daniela looked up at the bed where she would be sleeping, resting a few feet above the bottom bunk. There was no way up except by using the bottom bunk as a step ladder. Daniela tossed her pathetic excuse for a pillow up then put her foot on the bed.

"Get your filthy feet off my bed!" her cell-mate yelled, grabbing Dani's ankle and pulling. Daniela fell backwards, hitting her head on the hard, concrete surface.

"Ow, what the hell?"

Her cell-mate hopped off her bed, kneeling next to Dani. She pressed her hand down on Dani's chest, pinning her to the ground.

"The bottom bunk is mine, got it, bitch?" she said, "It's bigger and easier to get to."

"Why can't I use the top one then?" Dani asked, rubbing her head. Her cell-mate grabbed her shirt, lifting Dani up slightly.

"Because, this is my cell, and what I say goes, got it, bitch?"

Daniela pulled away from the other woman, glaring daggers at her.

"Well, Princess, this isn't just your castle anymore. There are two beds and two people," Daniela growled, "Now, give me my bed before I stuff my fist in your face."

Daniela felt the girl let go of her shirt and smiled. She got to her feet, dusting herself off.

Suddenly, her cell-mate stood up. Daniela's eyes widened.

"What the hell is in the water?" she muttered to herself.

Her cell-mate stood at a stunning 6'3". Her cell-mate cracked her knuckles, grabbing Dani's shirt once more, lifting the Silver Ranger off the ground and throwing her across the room with amazing force.

"I've been in here a year and a half," she stated, "I run this place."

"What about King?" Dani asked picking herself off the ground.

"That's my husband."

Dani grumbled, "Great. Don't reproduce."

The other woman made her way over to Dani, kneeling next to her.

"I was in the cafeteria when Tiny came up to you. I know that out there, you're protected. But in here, you can't hide behind that whale. When we're in this building of the prison, you'll do as I say, go it?"

Daniela shook her head, "I've seen worse."

Her cell-mate picked her off the ground and carried her back over to the beds. She stuffed Dani in the small space under her bed.

"My name's Mom," Dani heard before she was punched in the stomach, "Break my rules, and you in for something bad."

"Like time out?" Dani coughed.

Mom grabbed Dani's hair, pulling roughly.

"You won't want to find out," Mom growled, "Now, go to sleep, bitch. Momma's looking forward to tomorrow."


	56. Glitch

Mike gathered everyone into the couch area, waiting for his friends and family to find a spot on either the couches or floor before beginning.

"How do you stop a rebellion?" he said, looking into the eyes of everyone around him.

"That's the question," Greg sighed, "How do we stop the rebellion? We have all our solutions; we just need a way to speak with the people of Corinth city."

Mike smiled, "As far as we know, H-07's the man running the show. The civilians believe he's just some teenage kid who was brave enough to stand up against us. They've got no idea he's a T15 attack bot, and that he wants nothing more than to see them dead."

"So?" Kaylee asked, sitting on Dani's usual spot, causing a few heads to turn as people noticed the red head's absence. "Mike, I hate to be a bummer, but the people are hypnotised. Tell them what you want, but H-07 has the power to make them obey his every command."

Mike shook his head and turned to Vanessa, "Explain the hypnosis they're under."

Vanessa didn't expect to be put on the spot so suddenly. She shrugged and sighed deeply.

"I'm not too sure," she answered, "I think he's brought out their concerns and he's manipulating them into believing he's the solution to their problems. They think he's going to be the one to save them."

"So they think he's Jesus?" Dillon muttered, "Well, they've got another thing coming."

"If they think H-07 is Jesus," Mike started a large smirk formed on his lips, "then what do you think is going to happen when they find out he's a robot bent on destroying humanity?"

"It'll mess with their minds," Dawn grinned, "It won't snap them out of hypnosis, because it hasn't been reversed, but it might cause a slight glitch."

"Maybe we can use that glitch," Scott smiled. He turned to Kaylee, as if seeking her approval. Kaylee nodded happily.

"I think this might work," she said, "Right now H-07 and his rebellion have the control tower. That means they can operate the city shields, the weather system and the communication system. As long as they're in there, we're powerless, and they know it. If we can find a way to get in, cause the glitch in the hypnosis for just a few seconds, it might be enough time for Dr. K to upload the 'cure' into the computer. Then, maybe, we can upload that cure into H-07 and get him to wirelessly send it out to everyone affect."

"That sounds complicated," Dillon frowned, "Can't we just blow up the command center and say, 'Whoops'?"

"As fun as that would be, we can't do that," Flynn sighed, "Those people are all innocent. We can't take innocent lives."

"Flynn's right," Dustin smiled, "And I think I have a plan. Scott, Kaylee, Dr. K, come with me."

"What about Samantha?" Summer asked, "H-07's got her prisoner."

"I know," Dustin nodded, "We're going to kill two birds with one stone."

"I thought you said there was no killing?" Dillon smirked.

"Go eat your pudding," Dustin sighed. He grabbed his wife's hand as he led her, Rebecca and Scott into the lab to fill them in on his plan, leaving the others in the dark for now.

Dillon turned to Summer with a look of confusion, "I don't have any pudding."

"It's a Brooks thing," Kira breathed, "For some odd reason, that's how they tell you to fuck off. Hayden wouldn't stop saying it to Drew when she was in NewTech."

As Kira was explaining this, Tori was shaking her head, "I really should never have dropped Kaylee when we were young. Her family is so screwed up because of it."

Blake chuckled, patting his wife on the back gently.

Tommy snapped his fingers happily as if a thought came to him. He wore a huge smile on his face.

"That's what happened!" he exclaimed, "That explains grade twelve science class."

"After twenty-three years," Jason laughed as his put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Tommy's figured it out."

-----RPM-----

Dani woke up to the sound of a whistle as the cell door opened up. She heard Mom getting off the bed and saw her rather large feet land on the ground just beside her head. Suddenly, Mom knelt down, grabbing Dani's hair and pulling her out.

"Work time, bitch," she grinned, "Wanna meet the family?"

"Not particularly," Dani grumbled as she was dragged out of her cell by Mom and into the main room, where guards were preparing the woman for a morning of hard labour. "I'm a teenager; family's the last thing on my mind."

Mom chuckled, but it wasn't a light hearted chuckle.

"Think you're funny, bitch?" she asked as she let go of Dani's hair so she wouldn't get in trouble with the guards as they handed her a bucket. The guard was about to hand one to Dani, but realised they were short.

"Seems we don't have one for you, 18754," the guard shrugged, calling Dani by her name on the shirt she had been given the night before. "You're going to have to share with someone."

In that instant, Mom wrapped her arm around Dani, grabbing her in a hold.

"Don't worry, she'll share with me," she smiled, "It'll be nice getting some time to bond with my cell-mate."

The guard looked to Dani, "Are you okay with that?"

Dani wanted to say no. She would much rather be with another prisoner. She knew Mom was out to get her, and though she was positive the tall women would be no match for her if it came down to a fight, she was a little scared to be around her.

Mom noticed Dani hesitating and squeezed her.

"She's overjoyed, right?" she pressed, making Dani feel as if she had to say yes.

"Y-yeah," Dani finally nodded, "I'll share with her."

The guard smiled, "Good. 12356 will show you what you need to do when you're out there, but it's pretty simple. Find whatever you can that looks important and bring it back. We take everything to the labs to study them."

"Study?" Dani frowned, but before she could get an answer Mom dragged her into the tunnel that led to the work field.

Once the light hit Dani's eyes she knew she was outside. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she looked around.

"The wastelands?" she asked, turning to Mom as the taller woman shoved the large bucket into her arms. "Why are we out here?"

"Collecting stuff," Mom shrugged, "Now get to work. I was that bucket fill by the end of the hour so I can go see my husband. I'm going to talk with the others and introduce you."

Daniela watched as Mom walked away before scanning the wastelands for any sign of guards. It seemed no one was out here to watch them. Of course, there was no need for that. The prisoners knew there was nowhere to run. NewTech city was open, but prisoners were recognisable by the shirts they wore. They all had numbers printed on them which the guards seemed to use instead of names. And if prisoners chose to ditch their shirts, they would walk into NewTech half naked. This meant that there would be background checks performed to figure out who they were, and if their DNA matched anyone's in Corinth, NewTech officers would be able to figure out you were in jail, and you would be sent right back.

However, Dani was worried that without guards, things could escalade. Leaving a hundred imprisoned women alone was a bad idea. Someone could get hurt. But it seemed to be the way things worked in prison.

"Aren't you going to help me?" she finally called, making Mom turn around. A few of her friends came to her side and laughed.

"There's a reason I call you bitch," Mom smirked, snapping her fingers as her friends all handed her their buckets. "You work for me. You do as I do and you're not going to complain, got it?"

"No," Dani frowned, throwing all the buckets down on the dried up land. "I don't 'got it'. I didn't come in here to be someone's bitch. I came in here because I committed a crime and I needed some time to reflect. This is our bucket! Those are there buckets. I'm not going to do your half of the work!"

Mom seemed to have a look of horror on her face as Dani crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at her.

"You little shit," she growled, stomping forward and grabbing Dani's neck. "Don't you remember what I told you last night? I run this place. Not you. What I say goes."

Dani hands flew to her neck as Mom let go. She massaged the spot that would surely be red in a few moments. She picked up the first bucket and grumbled as she placed a small piece of metal inside.

"That's a good bitch," Mom grinned as her friends laugh. "If you keep this up, I might let you climb up to the top bunk to get your pillow."

Dani's knuckles turned white as she clenched the handle in her hand. Her body was trembling in rage. She knew she could stand up to Mom, but there was no way she could stand up to every women laughing at her.

"Wow, Mom, one day and you've already got her doing your dirty work," one of the women commented.

"Oh, the dirty work's still to come," Mom laughed, "But I should have her by the end of the week."

Dani growled loudly and she turned around, the bucket swinging with her.

"SHUT UP!" she yelled.

Accidentally the bucket slipped from her hand, soaring through the air. Time seemed to slow for Dani as the bucket flew for Mom.

There was a loud, shrill cry as the metal bucket hit Mom in the nose, mostly likely breaking it. The woman's hand went to her face, but there was an opening between her fingers for her to see. She glared daggers at Dani.

Suddenly, Dani found herself on her back with two hundred pounds sitting on top of her. It happened much too fast for Dani to try and escape. Mom's fist quickly made first contact with Daniela's face before a harsh beating began.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee stepped out into the city nervously playing with her hair as she looked up at the command center. Any minute now H-07 would know she was out and he would be here to face her.

She finally stopped walking and took a deep breath, waiting patiently for her enemy to show.

"Well, well," H-07 chuckled as he appeared from the shadows, dragging out Samantha with him. Kaylee had to keep from attacking the robot. If she lost her cool she could give herself away.

"You want a trade?" she asked, "Me for Samantha?"

"Mom, don't," Samantha said, trying to pull away from her captor, but he held a strong grip.

"This will be your end, Kaylee," H-07 smiled, "You'll never see your family and friends again."

"We'll see," Kaylee held her hands out, giving H-07 the chance to tie them together. A smirk came on his lips as he tossed Samantha to the side and grabbed Kaylee by the upper arm.

"Come with me," he said, "It was only a matter of time before you and the Rangers gave up."

Kaylee bowed her head in shame as she was tugged into the command center. Samantha made it to her feet and tried to run after her mother, but the door closed before she could get inside.

"MOM!" she yelled, banging her fists on the door.

"Samantha," a voice laughed, turning Samantha's attention to the flower bed beside the command center. The source of the voice seemed to be coming from a bush that desperately needed to be trimmed.

"What the hell?" Samantha frowned.

"Ouch!" the voice screamed, "What's poking my ass? Dustin, is that you?"

"Not at all," Dustin's voice laughed.

Samantha walked to the bush, pushing away the branches to look down at the two people sitting in the garden. She crossed her arms and frowned.

"What's going on?"

Kaylee stood up, pulling a few leaves from her hair.

"I'll explain on the way up," she smiled, "C'mon. Dr. K's waiting to cut the lines."

-----RPM-----

"Ouch!" Dani winced, pulling away as Tiny tried once again to put the ice pack on her forehead.

"Sorry, Red," Tiny smiled softly, waiting for Dani to give him the signal to try again, "Boy, those girls sure got a few good punches in."

"I never thought women could be so violent," Dani breathed, "I mean, sure, we can be royal bitches, but... this hurts so bad."

Tiny nodded gently as he moved the ice pack in closer. Before the pack touched Dani's face, she pulled away again.

"Stop," she said, grabbing the ice from Tiny and putting on the table, beside her tray of food. "This isn't going to work."

Tiny brushed Dani's hair away from her face, hissing as he saw the bump forming on her head.

"I'll go talk to the guards," he said, "Maybe you can get some painkillers..."

"Oh, how life turns," Dani grumbled, dropping her head on the table, hiding her face in her arms, "Just a few days ago I tried to take my own life with pain killers. I swear, those little pills are seeking revenge."

"I'm going to take that as a 'no thank you'," Tiny smiled. He pushed Dani's food closer to her, "You should eat something, Red. You've got two weeks minus a day left, and you're going to need energy to keep Mom off your back."

"I'm actually scared," Dani breathed, poking her eyes up from behind her arms, "I'm scared to go to bed tonight. Last night, Mom stuffed me under her bed and forced me to sleep there."

"Don't let the others get you down," Tiny said, "Most people in here aren't as tough as they pretend to be."

Daniela pointed to all the bruises and scars on her body, "Oh, yeah. I can totally see where my cell-mate is pretending to be tough. My giant, savage and sex-deprived new best friend is such a softy at heart."

"You know what I mean," Tiny sighed.

The warning bell rung, letting all the prisoners know they had five minutes to get to their cells before the doors were locked. If they didn't make it back on time, they went to solitary confinement. Dani knew being trapped alone in a small room wasn't going to be ideal, but it could have been better than bunking with Mom.

Her heart dropped as she got to her feet. Tiny offered her his jell-o as a parting gift for the night. Dani smiled to her friend slightly before limping towards the doors. Tiny couldn't help but feel bad for his small friend when he saw Mom come up to her and grab her arm to drag her back to their cell.

But he couldn't help her out. There was nothing he could do to protect her when she was with Mom. He couldn't make a complaint on her behalf, and he couldn't share a cell with her to keep her safe.

He needed someone on the inside of the women's prison to look out for her. The problem was there was no one he could trust with her safety. Every woman feared Mom just as much as Dani did. The only reason Mom didn't pick on them was because they didn't have the guts Dani did to stand up to her.

For now, all Tiny could do was be Dani's friend. He wasn't going to let the little kids get picked on anymore.

As soon as the guard was out of sight, Mom grabbed the back of Dani's neck and stuffed her back under the bed.

"You're going to stay there and you're going to think about what you've done," she growled as she pointed to her broken nose, "Maybe next time you'll think twice before you attack me savagely with the bucket."

"Maybe next time I'll disfigure your entire face instead of just your nose," Dani grumbled, still refusing to let Mom walk all over her. At least she could still fight back with her words. But Dani knew the more she pushed, the more Mom was going push back.


	57. The Tables Turn

"Whoa, hey, wait up!" Dustin called after his wife and daughter as he stumbled out of the bush, picking leaves and twigs out of his shoes while he made his way over to the door to the command center. Kaylee rolled her eyes and shared a look with her daughter while they waited for Dustin to join.

He finally caught up to them and nodded, "Alright, let's go."

"I'm signing you back up for Ninja Training," Kaylee sighed as she searched her pocket for her card, "You're losing your stealth."

"Can I know what's going on?" Samantha asked, "I thought you went upstairs with H-07."

"I'm a pretty perfect human being, aren't I?" Kaylee smirked. Samantha rolled her eyes and turned to her dad.

"You'll tell me."

Dustin nodded, "Step one: get H-07 to think he's got Kaylee in his grasp so we can rescue you and keep him from monitoring the command center. This'll allow us to get inside the base and up to the main office."

"So, if that wasn't mom, who was it?" Samantha asked, feeling slightly nervous as the list of possible Kaylee look-a-like candidates went through her head, starting from her Aunt Tori and going all the way down to her shape-shifting boyfriend.

"Step two:" Kaylee smiled, finally getting the door open. She led her husband and daughter inside, being very careful to stay quiet as she led the way to the stairs. They couldn't use the elevator because it could easily alert everyone upstairs that someone was coming, "Surprise H-07 and get him to lose focus for a moment by revealing his prisoner's true identity."

"Who is the prisoner?" Samantha asked again, "Who the hell was you... were you... was that? Who the hell did H-07 kidnap in my place?"

"Step three:" Dustin continued, making his daughter grown loudly. He opened the door to the floor of the main office and the three snuck through the hallway. He whispered so as not to make too much noise, "Use the surprise to get the civilian's attention. Once we have it, we prove to them that their saviour is actually the henchman of the person trying to kill them, thus causing a slight glitch in the hypnosis, rendering them useless to H-07 for a few minutes."

"Step four:" Kaylee smiled, "Take that time to get onto the communication system where Dr. K will be waiting for us. She'll upload the cure to the hypnosis and we'll give it to H-07 so he can wirelessly transmit it to every civilian. Now, they aren't under his control, and we all have a common enemy. Sure, they'll still hate me, but I'll be the least of their worries."

"That's complicated," Samantha grumbled, "How about you tell me who was posing and mom then the four of us just blow this place up?"

"What's wrong with you people?" Dustin frowned, "No killing! It's Ranger code."

Kaylee had to mask the pain she felt at Dustin's words. She knew he wasn't making a reference to her Ranger days, when she had killed Jordan, or even to Dani's current situation, but it still hit home.

"Fine," Samantha groaned, "Let's just get in."

Kaylee snapped back to reality and shook her head, "Right... Dustin, you should go in there. Here's a scanner. It'll beep when it finds the T15 technology inside H-07. When it does, everyone will hear it and they'll believe you. It'll start the glitch in their hypnosis."

"Got it," Dustin nodded, grabbing the scanner from his wife. He turned to his daughter, "Want to come with me?"

"I guess," Samantha shrugged, "Nowhere else to go."

Dustin opened the door a crack to let Samantha sneak in. Just before leaving, he gave Kaylee a quick kiss.

"Be careful," he whispered, "Once H-07 realises you're not the one he's got, he'll go after you."

"I'll be fine," Kaylee smirked, "I'm invincible."

-----RPM-----

Dani couldn't sleep. She lay under the bed, eye wide open. Many times she thought about trying to sneak out and get to the top bunk so she would at least have a mattress, but she didn't want to risk Mom finding her where she wasn't supposed to be.

Dani was terrified of Mom. She didn't know why. If she challenged Mom in the cell, where it would be a fair, one on one match, she would wipe the floor with the taller woman. But there was something about Mom that put the fear of God inside Daniela.

The worst part was, the more Daniela thought about Mom, the more she thought about her own mother: the mom who loved her and cared for her.

Daniela began to sob as she thought about her mother and her family. She missed them terribly. In prison, she had no one to look out for her. There was Tiny, but even he couldn't compare to the love of a family.

Daniela missed her family. She couldn't bear being away from them for two weeks, never mind the rest of her life.

She started to think about the shooter. The man she killed. His family wasn't living in a prison, but now they had to live the rest of their years without him. Dani didn't know him well. Maybe he was a poor man, working hard to support his family. Maybe he was the perfect father. Who worked days and came home before supper to play a game of catch with his son. Then, after dinner, he would go to his daughter's room, put on a dress that was much too small for him and sit down for an evening of tea and biscuits.

Daniela wiped her eyes and tried to keep quiet, but the tears wouldn't stop. She couldn't believe her life had taken her here.

Suddenly the bed above Dani moved. The Silver Ranger froze in fear as Mom got up. She bent down, reaching her hand under the bed to pull Daniela out.

"Shut up!" she screamed, "I need my beauty rest."

"I'm sorry," Dani breathed, wiping away a few tears. Mom grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away from her eyes. Even in the dark she caught sight of the tears falling from Daniela's eyes.

"Are you crying?" she asked. Daniela shook her head quickly.

"No. My nose was..."

"You're crying!" Mom laughed, "You're a little cry baby! Does cry baby want her mommy? Come let Mom take care of those tears..."

Mom tried wrapping her arms around Daniela but the redhead pulled away quickly.

"Just leave me alone!" she yelled, "You're not my mom. You're a disgusting human being!"

Before Dani even knew what she had said, Mom's fist made contact with her face, sending Daniela's sprawling on the floor. Mom jumped on top of the girl, pinning her hands over her head with one of her hands, while the other grabbed Daniela's throat.

"You've got some nerve, bitch," she growled as her grip tightened around Daniela's neck. The Silver Ranger struggled to escape, but found her attempts were futile. "I could kill you right now, and no one will ever care!"

"HEY!" one of the guards yelled, rushing with two other guards to the door of the cell. They got it open just as Daniela's lips started turning blue. Two of the guards grabbed Mom, ripping her off of Dani while the third guard held Dani to keep her from attacking Mom.

"What's going on in here?" one of the guards holding Mom asked, "You two women should be sleeping."

"Not my fault the kid's a cry baby," Mom shrugged, getting out of the guards' hold. She went back to her bed and sat down. "She woke me up."

The guards turned to Dani, "What were you doing up after curfew?" they asked her.

"This tall freak won't let me sleep in my bed," Dani frowned, pointing to mom, "She stuffed me under her bed. I can't sleep down there."

The guards turned back to Mom, "Did you do that?"

"Are you kidding?" Mom laughed. She pointed to the top bunk, where Daniela's pillow was resting. "She's been sleeping up there."

"You bitch!" Daniela yelled. She tried throwing herself on Mom, but the guard held her back. "She's lying!"

"Am not!" Mom frowned, "What's your pillow doing up there if you haven't been sleeping there?"

"I tossed it up there on my way up, but you tackled me down and said I had to sleep under the bed!"

Mom scoffed, "Now who's the liar? I wouldn't do that!"

"Please!" Dani rolled her eyes, "You're the devil spawn!"

"More lies! My track record in this prison is clean!"

"She's right," one of the guards nodded, "Beatrice has been an excellent prisoner."

"She's faking it!" Daniela screamed.

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!" a prisoner from another cell yelled, "I'm trying to sleep over here!"

"She's right," a guard sighed, "You two girls better go to bed. No more nonsense from you, 18754."

"Me?" Dani asked in shock, "I'm the problem here? Mom's got this entire prison wrapped around her finger and you guards are too oblivious to see that! She's the one who gave me all these bruises!"

"More lies," Mom shook her head, as if disappointed by Daniela's action, "C'mon, kid. Prison's hard, we all know that. But making up stories to make other people look bad isn't going to help you. I'll let it pass, though, because you're still new. I forgive you."

"BULLLSHIT!" Dani screamed, "She's such a fucking fake! She's lying to all of you! I'm not the problem!"

"Maybe she needs a little alone time," Mom shrugged, "A night by herself might be just what she needs."

The guards exchanged looks. The third one shrugged while the other two nodded.

"C'mon, 18754," they said, grabbing Dani by the arms, "A little time alone should do you some good."

Dani growled as they took her away. Mom waved goodbye to her cell mate with a grin.

"Enjoy solitary confinement," she called. "I'll see you in the rec. room after work!"

-----RPM-----

Dustin and Samantha burst into the command center, surprising H-07.

"You think you're so smart," Dustin started, "You think we're just going to let you take one of our own and steal our power?"

"Steal your power?" H-07 frowned, looking around the room at the civilians, "You abused it! Kaylee used this as a cover. You Rangers are only out to protect yourselves."

"And you're not?" Samantha asked, taking the scanner from her father. She turned it on and ran it down H-07's body. The scanner beeped loudly and the civilians all started looking around in confusion, mumbling under their breathes.

"He's a T15 attack bot!" Dustin called, bringing everyone's attention on him, "You're saviour and leader is one of the machines trying to kill you!"

Suddenly, everyone in the crowd froze as they hypnotized brains tried to figure out what to do next. H-07 growled under his breath as he grabbed Kaylee.

"I still have your leader!" he called, "She's as good as dead!"

"One problem."

The real Kaylee smirked as she stepped into the room. H-07 looked from her, back to the Kaylee in his grip.

"But... but... you... and... what?"

Scott dropped the act, revealing his true self to H-07. Just like the people, H-07 froze as he tried to figure out what just happened.

Kaylee ran to the computer, wasting no time. She got the cure from Dr. K and implanted it into H-07's systems. As he came back from his glitch a signal was sent out to every civilian in Corinth city.

Just like that, all eyes stopped spinning as Dr. K's cure worked its magic. Kaylee smiled, turning to the T15 bot.

"Don't mess with the Rangers," she said, "Because we'll fuck you over."

H-07 knew his plan was foiled. He needed to get out before the city came after him.

"I'll be back," he swore, running to the window. He opened it and looked down before turning back to Kaylee, "Next time, you're all done! You, you're family, and this city."

Samantha walked over to H-07 and put her hands on his back before pushing him over the edge. H-07 fell out of the window and Samantha looked to her parents.

"Whoops," she chuckled.

Kaylee smiled at her daughter, but she knew this wasn't the end. She glanced back at the civilians and sighed.

"We have a lot to talk about," she breathed, "But I know you've all had a long couple of days. Everyone go home to your families. Rest up. Tomorrow I'll fill you in on what happened, and we'll work everything out. I promise, things are going to change for the better."

The city filed out of the command center. Everyone remembered what happened while they were hypnotized and still believed in the opinion H-07 forced upon them.

As one woman walked by Kaylee, she scoffed loudly.

"You better fix this blondie," she commented, "Or Tenaya 15 is going to be the least of your concern."

Dustin, Samantha and Scott joined Kaylee in the middle of the room.

"That was easier than I thought," Dustin smiled, hugging his wife. Kaylee nodded slowly.

"That's because we're not done yet," Kaylee breathed, "We still have to get our solutions approved by the people, and I have a feeling I have a lot of apologizing to do."

"Well, everything's back to normal," Scott said, "Sure, the city hates you, but we'll get over it. We all have your back. Worst come to worst, they elect a new world leader. And the Rangers will always be needed. Everyone knows that."

"I guess you're right," Kaylee nodded, "But something has changed... big time. I hope everyone will understand."

"It's not your fault, mom," Samantha said, "You don't have to feel bad."

Kaylee turned to her daughter and frowned, "Oh, I wasn't talking about the city. I was talking about the Mark's family and the Rangers."

"Favouritism, much?" Scott laughed. Kaylee's face remained serious as she shook her head.

"Daniela's in prison," she whispered, "I put her there."


	58. Daniela Speaks Up

Kaylee could help but feel guilty as she looked at her "sister" sitting on the couch with her head in her hands as she tried to hold back the tears.

"Ronny, I'm so sorry..."

Ronny glared up at Kaylee. David grabbed her arm to hold her back, knowing Ronny was getting ready to snap.

Kaylee stepped back slowly, regretting her decision to tell the family that she put Daniela in jail. She knew she had to do it at some point, and figured it was going to be easier if everyone heard it once.

"You freaking bitch," Ronny snapped, jumping to her feet. David and Mack grabbed her arms to hold her back, while Tori grabbed her sister, pushing Kaylee behind her protectively.

"Ronny, listen to me," Kaylee whispered as she peeked over Tori's shoulder, "Daniela's been feeling really guilty about the murder. I tried to talk her out of it. I told her it was dangerous. She insisted. She was right."

"Right?" Ronny yelled, "Daniela's right! Kaylee, Daniela was suicidal two days ago! Now you're throwing her in a prison where the smallest person can eat her!"

"Ron, Daniela was right. I can't let her get away with this, then tell the city I'm trying to protect them," Kaylee tried to explain, "And living with the guilt... God, Ronny, do you know how hard it is? It's been years since I've seen Jordan, years since the murder, and I still see him in my sleep!"

Ronny grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at her sister.

"If anything happens to Daniela, I swear to god I'm going to kill you!" Ronny screamed, her body following the pillow as she tried to get around Tori to reach Kaylee.

Tori tried keeping the two little sisters apart while the other former Rangers tried to help, but nothing could keep the two apart. Kaylee moved in towards Ronny and grabbed her wrists.

"Ronny, I love Daniela. I don't ever want to see her hurt. You've got to understand how hard it is to live when you know you've taken a life! Especially an innocent one! You've got to see this from her point of view!"

"Think about it, Ronny," Kelly spoke up gently, hoping another voice would help Ronny realise that maybe Kaylee had made the right decision. "How would you feel if you committed murder? How would you feel if you know you took the life of an innocent man? Daniela's only sixteen! This is a lot of pressure for a kid!"

"I hate you," Ronny growled, keeping her eyes on Kaylee, "I really hate you!"

"Ronny!"

"Leave me alone," Ronny screamed, grabbing what she could and storming out of the Ranger base. "I don't ever want to see you or your family again!"

"Ronny..." Rose called, following her friend, knowing Ronny wasn't in any condition to be alone.

David sighed and shook his head slowly as he turned to Kaylee, "I'm sorry about Ronny..."

"Don't be," Kaylee forced a small smile for the father of the girl she put in jail, "I would react the same way if someone put Hayden in prison."

"I'll see if I can get through to her," David said, throwing the rest of his suitcases of his shoulder. "Good luck with the ongoing revolt."

Flynn and Scott sat down beside Greg on the couch, "How are you taking the news?" Scott asked.

"I'm terrified," Greg breathed, looking up at his friends, "Daniela doesn't belong in jail."

"She murdered someone," Flynn frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, "As far as the law goes, murderers belong in jail."

"But it wasn't her fault! I've told her so many times!"

Scott pat his friend on the back, "Daniela's one of the toughest people I know," he said, "And I grew up in the military. If anyone can make it out of prison, she can."

"I hope you're right," Greg breathed, "For her sake."

-----RPM-----

After breaking the news about Daniela to the family, Kaylee made her way to bed. It was only when her head hit the pillow that she realised she hadn't gotten a goodnight's sleep in the past couple of days.

Dustin was a few steps behind her, and by the time he crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around her, Kaylee was fast asleep. Just by her breathing, Dustin could tell his wife was getting the sleep she needed. He smiled happily as she nestled into his arms. Dustin was happy his wife was finally getting some rest. After the stress she's had to go through in the past few days, she didn't have time for sleep.

"Goodnight, Kayl Whale," he whispered, kissing her neck softly, "I love you."

-----RPM-----

Daniela was resting in the rec. room the next morning after a terrible night in solitary confinement. She was glad to be away from Mom for the night, but the cell for solitary was in a worse condition than the regular ones. Daniela was sure she had swallowed a lifetime of spiders in her sleep in that one night.

"Here," Tiny said, pulling out a bowl of jell-o from his shirt. He had to put it there to sneak it past the guards. Because Daniela was in solitary she had missed out on lunch. When Tiny overheard Mom and the other women laughing about it, he decided to save some food for his new friend, "I saved you my jell-o. It's a little warm but it's something."

Daniela's eyes fluttered open as she looked up at the big man. She took the jell-o from him and ate it quickly.

"Thanks," she smiled, "I really appreciate this."

Tiny sat down across from Daniela, "I heard you had a rough night. The guard sent you to solitary?"

"Mom lied to them," Daniela groaned, recalling the night, "She said I was making up stuff."

"What has mom been doing to you?" Tiny asked.

"She hits me," Daniela breathed, lowering her head in shame, "Whenever I do something she doesn't like... she hits me, grabs my hair... yesterday, just before we fell asleep, when I refused to sleep with her, bit me."

"The nerve of that woman!" Tiny roared, jumping up from his seat, ready to defend his friend. Daniela grabbed his arm and got him to sit back down before the guards took him away.

"There's still more," Daniela said, "She stuffs me under her bed and tells me to sleep there. When we go to work, I've got to fill up everyone's buckets before lunch. Mom keeps calling me her bitch and I swear, I think she's just getting ready."

"You should tell someone," Tiny said, touching Daniela's arm, "The guards are tough, but they can't let that kind of abuse happen. It's against the law! Even in prison."

"I know... but they don't believe me," Dani groaned, "That's why I was sent away. Mom told them I was making up stories."

"That's not right."

"I know... but it's all I can do."

Suddenly, Daniela felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Mom.

"What do you want?" Daniela growled, feeling slightly braver with Tiny by her side.

"The girls and I have a question about red heads and we need an answer," Mom smirked, "We need you to come with us."

"No," Daniela answered, "No way. You're a heartless bitch."

Mom's eyes widened at Daniela's words, but she didn't dare try and make a move. Not with Tiny watching over her.

"I would suggest you come with us now," Mom growled, tightening her grip on Dani's shoulder. Daniela winced from the pain, causing Tiny to jump out of his seat and grab Mom by the throat.

"Let go of Red!" he screamed. The guards were quickly alerted. They grabbed their nightsticks and ran over to the scene. It took three guards to pull Tiny away.

"What's going on here?" one of the guards asked, and Daniela recognised him as the same guard who was in her cell during the night.

"He attacked me..." Mom breathed in terror as she stepped away. "I just wanted to see if Daniela would play pool with me and the ladies, and Tiny jumped me!"

"You liar!" Daniela screamed, "You never mentioned pool! Hell, there isn't even a pool table in this room!"

"Most of the prisoners like creating games from what they find in the room," the second guard explained.

"Most of the prisoners are psychotic!" Daniela retorted, "Are you all blind? I'm a five-foot something teenage girl. Mom's a six-foot something giant! Who do you think was picking on who last night? Mom's a liar!"

"Mom's the best behaved prisoner here," the first guard commented, "We're thinking of cutting her sentence short for good behaviour."

Daniela's eyes widened, "Are you kidding me?"

Daniela stormed over to the women who usually followed Mom around. She hoped that the only reason they were friend with Mom was because they were scared, and she was hoping they would team up with her to take Mom down.

"You guys have all seen it, right?" Dani asked, "C'mon! We can take her down!"

"Mom's been my role model," one of the smaller women said, "I'm working hard to be just like her."

"LIAR!"

"Okay, okay, everyone calm down," Mom pulled Dani away from her friend and wrapped her arms around Dani in a hug. Tiny stood, biting his lip to keep from murdering Mom.

Daniela tried squirming out of Mom's grasp, but the tall woman was strong. So, instead, Daniela decided to show the guards Mom was the biggest bully in the women's prison. So, she "accidentally" bumped into Mom's broken nose with the top of her head. Mom recoiled in pain and glared at Daniela.

"Whoops," Daniela said, taking a deep breath, pretending to calm down, "I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me. I know you're such a nice, caring and loving person."

"Well," Mom said, rubbing her nose gently to ease the pain, "I... I guess I forgive you."

Daniela muttered under her breathe before coming up with a plan.

"Here, my dad's a doctor, let me have a look at it."

Daniela reached up, grabbing Mom's nose and pinching it.

"OW! She pinched me!" Mom shrieked. Daniela's hands flew up defensively.

"I'm sorry, it's routine. I've got to make sure the bone is setting properly. Just let me..."

Daniela reached again for Mom's nose and pulled on it, hard, before taking off in the other direction.

Mom tried to stay calm. She knew Daniela wanted her to explode in front of all the guards.

Daniela turned around, running backwards, "C'mon, bitch!" she called after her, "I bet you can't catch me!"

"That's it!" Mom yelled. If there was one thing she couldn't take, it was when people taunted her and put her down. Mom shoved Tiny, the guards and her friends out of the way as she charged after Daniela. "Get back here you little bitch!" she screamed, "I'm going to kill you!"

"Leave her alone!" Tiny yelled as he tried to rescue his friend. Daniela reached the corner of the room, finding no place else to run as Mom inched closer and closer. Even with her super speed Mom would still have the time to grab her before she reached light speed. However, Daniela raised her hand to stop Tiny from interfering.

"I know what I'm doing, big guy," she winked, She turned to the prison guards, "Look at little miss perfect now!"

Mom had Dani cornered. The little red head put her hands up in front of her face to try and protect herself from the beating. Mom's fist connected with Daniela's small body, forcing her to curl up on the ground where Mom kicked her savagely in the gut.

The other women decided to join, fearing Mom's wrath if they didn't back her up. Before the prison guards could do anything, the entire women's prison was huddle in the corner, each trying to get their turn to pound on poor little Daniela.

Some of the men even chose to join. As soon as King decided to to fight with his wife, it was the entire prison against Daniela.

Tiny wouldn't stand for this. The prison guards were contacting others for backup before going in to break up the fight. Tiny knew Daniela wouldn't have long. He clenched his fist before roaring in rage.

"Break it up!" he screamed, ploughing his way through the crowd until he reached Daniela. He grabbed a few men and women in his arms and threw them across the room.

Everyone stopped what they were doing. There was no one strong enough to take on Tiny, especially when he was mad.

The round man bend down and picked Daniela's limp form up in his arms.

"You're a brave little girl, Red," he whispered to her.

"That's not bravery," Mom chuckled as blood dripped from her nose. She grabbed another prison's shirt to wipe it away, "That's stupidity! I can't believe I share a cell with her."

"I can't believe the guards didn't see that you were a two-timing, lying bitch!" Tiny roared, "You deserve to rot in this prison."

"HEY!" King shouted, "That's my wife you're talkin' to. I suggest you back off."

Tiny growled under his breath. He handed Daniela to the guards, who quickly rushed her to the medical wing.

"You want to mess with me, little man?" Tiny threatened, bumping his stomach into King. The other man stumbled backwards from the impact. He was big, but Tiny was much bigger. King backed off, holding his wife in his arms. Tiny smirked, "I didn't think so."

He looked to every other prisoner, "Listen to me, all of you. Red's just a kid. She's in here for the right reasons, unlike the rest of us! If she tells me that anyone so much as looked wrongly at her, I will eat you all, understood?"

Tiny didn't wait for a response as he turned to follow the guards, wanting to check up on his little buddy.

-----RPM-----

Over in the garage, Kaylee was working on the new laws. She wanted to have them ready before the council meeting, where she would discuss matters and try to settle the rebellion. Suddenly the phone rang. Without taking her eyes off her papers, Kaylee picked it up and cradled it between her cheek and shoulder.

"Kaylee Hanson's office," she answered.

"_Miss Kaylee, there's been an incident in the prison involving the prisoner you signed in two days ago; Miss Daniela Marks."_

Kaylee frowned as she turned her attention to the phone, "I'm listening."

"Things got out of hand in the recreation room. Daniela provoked one of our best behaved prisoners..."

"Long story short here, officer," Kaylee interrupted, "What happened to Daniela."

"_She's in the hospital wing and law states we need to contact her family. You left no number on her registration forms."_

"I've got her parents' number here," Kaylee said, "But don't worry about it. If something happened in the prison to put a Ranger in the hospital wing I think I should check it out. I'll bring her parents down with me."

Kaylee hung up the phone before dropping her head on the desk. She had been worried about Daniela, but figured her young Ranger would be okay. She didn't let the fact that Daniela was in prison bring her down. Everything was finally starting to fall in place, until now.

Kaylee checked the clock on the wall and saw she only had an hour before the council meeting. There was no way she could skip out on that, but she needed to be down in the prison for Dani's sake, and to make sure things were running smoothly.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck my life!" Kaylee screamed.

"Hey kiddo," Leanne frowned, stepping into the room, "What's going on?"

"I need to be in two places at once!" Kaylee groaned loudly, "Prison and the meeting."

"Okay... should I ask why?"

"Don't push this," Kaylee growled, "You're already in a sling."

"Sorry," Leanne frowned, "But..."

"Daniela's hurt. I think I should check it out, but I can't skip out on the meeting just for my family! That's why we're having this meeting in the first place!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Leanne smiled, "You go to the prison. I'll cover for you at the meeting."

"How the hell is that going to work?" Kaylee sighed, "I need to ..."

"I'll tell them there was an emergency in Corinth prison that required you to be there at the last minute and that you sent me to represent you."

"I can't do that..."

Leanne moved to Kaylee's desk, picking up the papers Kaylee had been working on.

"Look, brat, you've got all your ideas written down here," she smiled, "I'll just be the voice to go with these."

"Are you sure?" Kaylee asked.

"I've got a degree in law," Leanne smirked, "If the city opposes to me representing you, I'll just tell them that if they want you to look out for the city, they're going to have to accept the fact that sometimes the city will overshadow the city."

"I have no idea what you just said, but I'm going to the jail to be with Dani... I can't lie to the city."

"The go to the meeting, I'll go see Dani."

"But I've got a feeling there's something going on in the prison..."

"Then go to the prison."

"But..."

"Oh my God! Kaylee's you're a mom, you're a world leader and you're leader of Project. Just because you choose to take care of Dani and the city doesn't mean the city's going to overthrow you."

Leanne moved in closer to Kaylee and hugged her little sister.

"You're a human," she smiled, "And with humans, family should come first. But you've done so much for the city. Let me go to the meeting and you take care of the prison."

"I'll try to be at that meeting as soon as I can," Kaylee said, "And if the city really needs to talk with me, I'm only a phone call away."

Leanne nodded, "That's my brat," she smiled, "No, go take care of Corinth city. I'll go represent you. Come tomorrow morning, you'll be loved again and prison will be a better place."

Kaylee grabbed her coat, ready to run out.

"But don't make it too good," Leanne called after the blonde, "It's supposed to be punishment, not a resort!"


	59. The Meeting

David didn't feel safe as he walked into the prison between Ronny and Kaylee. His wife was already sending death threat's Kaylee's way before the prison's hospital called. He was sure that once Ronny saw her daughter in the hospital bed she would be reunited with Daniela... behind bars.

One of the guards led the trio to the medical wing and slowly opened the door. However he put his arm in front of the door, keeping them from entering.

"She's been stressed out since she woke up," the guard warned them, "The doctor suggested one at a time. You each will have five minutes, then you all have to go."

"Five minutes?" Ronny growled. Her knuckles had already gone white as she tried to keep her anger in. "My daughter was attacked, wound up in this hell hole of a hospital, and I only get five minutes to..."

"She's still a prisoner," the guard stated, "No special treatments."

Kaylee sighed, "He's right, Ronny. And if she's got mommy hovering over her the prisoners are surely going to pick on her even more."

"Shut up," Ronny snapped, "I don't want to hear your voice right now, Kaylee."

Kaylee took another deep breath. She looked to David, "I have somewhere else I have to be. Can I go in first?"

"That's probably a good idea," David nodded, "I'll calm Ronny down."

When Ronny saw Kaylee trying to be the first in the room she tried to make a move, but David grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"By law Kaylee's required to go in first," he lied, but only to protect Kaylee from his wife. David was fully aware of what Ronny could do when she wanted to protect her daughter. He didn't want Kaylee to suffer that wrath, "You know, before anyone can alter what Daniela remembers of the story. There's nothing she can do about it."

"Bitch," Ronny growled.

"Look, everything's going to be fine," David smiled, "And this way we'll figure out what happened and Dani will be safer when we leave. I promise, everything's going to work out."

Kaylee could heard David talking Ronny down as she walked into Daniela's room. Once the door was closed though, the red head was her main focus.

"Hey kiddo," she forced a smile as she looked at Daniela's beaten form. She knew her niece would come out of prison with bruises but she didn't expect anything this terrible. "Look, I want to ask you how you are and I want to tell you that everything's going to be okay, but I can't... so can we skip to the questions?"

Daniela nodded, allowing her Aunt to continue. She understood that Kaylee had a job to do, and to be honest, she didn't want anyone coddling her.

"What happened?" Kaylee asked.

"Everything," Daniela sighed, "Mom's a bitch!"

"Whoa, what?" Kaylee frowned, shaking her head before glaring at her niece in confusion.

"Sorry," Dani chuckled lightly, "My cell-mate. She's called Mom."

"Okay, so prison Mom is a bitch," Kaylee nodded, deciding to take down notes. If she was going to get to the bottom of what caused the fight, she was going to need to remember her conversation with the victim. She was sure to note that when Daniela said mom, she meant prison Mom. Right now Kaylee couldn't tell the difference between Bitch Mom and Bitch Ron.

"She thinks she's some kind of Queen," Daniela sighed, "On my first night she stuffed me under the bed and forced me to sleep there."

"What did the guards say about that?" Kaylee asked.

"Nothing," Daniela answered, "They weren't there. At night they disappear."

"They should be doing a patrol," Kaylee stated, "There should be one guard per floor making sure everyone's at least in bed. Whether they sleep or not isn't the city's problem.

"Well, no one was around," Dani said, crossing her arms over her chest, "And to make matters worse, when I was finally able to confront Mom about the bed situation and the abuse and work she..."

"Whoa, backtrack... abuse?"

"Who do you think did this to me?" Daniela asked, pointing to her bruises, "Mom initiated the beating!"

"I hear you provoked her."

"Only because she's a lying bitch!"

"Stop with the name-calling, Dan," Kaylee said.

"She is! Many times she's hinted to sleeping with me!"

"Why didn't you speak up to the guards before?" Kaylee asked. "They should have done something about it? Contacting me would have been nice."

"They wouldn't believe me anyways," Dani huffed, "They think Mom is the perfect little prisoner! They told me they were thinking of letting her out early."

Kaylee looked to the clock and saw her time with Daniela was up. She still had many more questions and few answers.

"Look, Dan," she breathed, "I'm going to find the recording of the fight and I'll watch it. If you're telling the truth, which I hope you are, then you shouldn't worry about a thing. Rest up, Nascar. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Aunt Kaylee, I want to go home," Daniela began to cry as she grabbed her aunt's hand, keeping her from leaving. "It was a mistake coming here."

Kaylee turned back to her niece and looked at her sympathetically. She pulled up a chair, clutching the scared girl's hand.

"Remember why you're in here, Dani," she smiled, "You did wrong. You're in here because you murdered someone. I know prison seems tough, but it's supposed to be."

"I'm scared," Dani whispered, holding her aunt, afraid that if she let go she would forever be lost. "Mom's going to kill me, I know it! She hates me!"

Kaylee sighed as she brushed away the hair from Daniela's face, exposing the bruises around her eyes and her cheekbones.

"You're in here for us," she hushed softly, "In two weeks minus two days you'll be home where everyone loves you. I promise."

"Pull me out," Daniela begged, "Please, I'll do anything."

"Wait two more weeks," Kaylee kissed her niece one the forehead, careful not to hurt her, "Then I can get you out of here. Until then, I have no power."

Kaylee let go of Daniela's hand and hurried out the door before she gave Daniela any hope. Just as she opened the door to let either Ronny or David in, she heard her niece screaming.

Kaylee never heard anyone scream that way. It was pure terror. Something must have happened to make Daniela, one of the most courageous Rangers Kaylee's ever known, so horrified by her experience. Kaylee knew Daniela was ready to face prison and all its hardships, and she knew Daniela would be able to handle it, but there must have been something more.

She quickly ran to the security room, where all the monitors and tapes were kept safely. She signed her name down on the officials papers, letting whoever was supposed to be in this room know that she had taken the tape of the fight in the recreation room.

Just before leaving, Kaylee spotted a tape that had Daniela's cell number on it. She looked down at the tape already in her hand. If Daniela was speaking the truth, then just the one tape wouldn't be enough. Quickly, she signed a second and a third tape out.

The second was the tape monitoring Daniela's cell. The third was a tape that looked over the women's work field. Before Kaylee made any serious accusations against mom or the prison guards, she needed proof.

Kaylee looked back up at the clock again. Her council meeting had started twenty minutes before. She groaned, stuffing the tapes in her bag before bolting out of the room. If she hurried she could make it for the second half of the meeting.

-----RPM-----

Leanne walked into the council room nervously as part two began. Part one hadn't gone smoothly once the representative for the doctor's of Corinth city recognised her everything had gone downhill. Leanne still managed to convince everyone that Kaylee wasn't as bad as H-07 made her out to be, but there was still a long way to go before they were convinced that they were in good hands with her as leader.

Just before Leanne took her seat amongst the other representatives, Kaylee burst into the room, breathing heavily. Her hair was everywhere, letting the men and women in the room know she had been running from wherever it was she had come from.

"Glad you could join us," Colonel Truman, who was here on behalf of the military, frowned while motioning to a chair. Kaylee took it, acknowledging him with a small nod.

"I'm really sorry I'm late," Kaylee apologized as she took her seat. Leanne gave her her papers and quickly filled Kaylee in on the details of part one, "There's a crisis in the prison."

"We heard," Mr. McKinnon, the representative for the civilians, grumbled as he crossed his arms across his chest, "Your niece is more important to you then we are."

"I would hope so," Leanne retorted, "We discussed this, Mr. McKinnon. Kaylee's just like you. She's got a family she's got to take care of. If your niece or nephew were in the hospital now, would you leave to care for them?"

"No," McKinnon shook his head, "This is more important."

"I'm really sorry about this," Kaylee once again apologized humbly, "I needed to be down in the prison with my niece, and I needed to collect the tapes to view later. I suspected foul play in the prison. As leader it's my responsibility to make sure every section of this city is working smoothly. You wouldn't want the prison to release criminals who have not learned their lesson, do you?"

"I would hope they wouldn't be released," McKinnon answered, "And if there's possibility for that, then obviously you're doing something wrong."

"And I'm trying to fix that law," Kaylee nodded.

"What about the farms?" Mr. Burns asked, "I've been living with no income and no crops to support my family. If you don't act now we'll die of hunger come next month."

Kaylee looked down at her papers before tracing a small line by one of the paragraphs. She turned the paper over to have Mr. Burns read it.

"I've prepared myself for that already," she nodded, "Two of my technicians from Project Ranger are working on creating smaller versions of the Food Boomer which will be distributed to all current farmers. And just in case some want out of that business, Hartford Industries is ready to hire any of you who are looking for jobs. I can guarantee, come the end of December, you'll be back in the work force."

"What about our pay?" Burns asked, "You should make up for any missed salaries. It's not our fault the soil went bad."

"I apologize for the missing pay," Kaylee said, "To compensate for that, the Marks, the Hansons, the James and my own family will contribute money to provide for yours and any other farmers' families out of the job. You'll be back on track with your pay by the end of the week, once we settle this agreement."

Leanne leaned closer to Kaylee, "Big words for such a small girl."

Kaylee winked at the redhead, "Thesaurus. Studied on my way here."

"I could live with that," Burns nodded, leaning back in the chair, "So the farmers are being looked after."

"As we speak, Mr. Burns. The first wave of Food Boomers will be available for delivery in the next few weeks. Guaranteed before Christmas. Of course, everything will be free of charge."

"And for the farmers receiving the Food Boomer in the second wave?"

"We'll give them a weekly salary to support their needs until their Food Boomer arrives."

"And how will this new system work?" Burns asked.

"As Colonel Truman already knows, the military is holding onto the fresh samples of food and cloning them daily to provide our grocery stores with food for the public to purchase. Once the first wave of Food Boomers is out, the Military won't have to worry about that job, and you farmers will once again be responsible for our crops. It'll be like farming but without the back breaking work. Once back in the job, your salary will return to what it once was."

Burns smiled, "I believe we can work with that."

"What about us doctors?" Dr. Da Silva, who spoke on behalf of Corinth's doctors, asked. "With Dr. Watanabe's new rules, we're going to work longer hours for the same pay. I find that highly unfair."

"As do I, doctor," Kaylee nodded, "This is why we're raising your pay. Again, the Marks, the Hansons, the James and my own family will be donating money, taxes if you will, to help fund your increase in pay."

"What about hiring more doctors?" Da Silva frowned as she lowered her glasses on her nose to read the copy of the form Leanne handed out earlier, "You're not hiring anymore?"

"The chances we pull enough doctors from medical school who are ready and qualified are at minimum. The increase in pay is all we can do for now. Hopefully things work out for you soon."

"And I can assure you," Leanne smiled, "In Newtech the Doctors work many hours, but they get longer vacation. In the end it works the same as if the hours never changed, but you pay is raised for the tighter shifts."

Da Silva didn't look ready to comprise on that deal, so Kaylee added, "You're a reasonable woman. As the last human residents on earth, you understand that it's crucial to treat as many people as possible to ensure repopulation."

"When you put it that way..."

Kaylee smiled, "I promise, we'll try to hire as soon as we can. For now, enjoy the new pay."

"The doctors will be happy to hear we've come to an agreement," Da Silva nodded.

Leanne turned to her little sister and gave her a thumbs up. She didn't know how Kaylee had managed to do it, but in half an hour she had turned half the population back on her side. All that was left was the civilians and the military.

Before Colonel Truman could open his mouth, Kaylee spoke, "I'm already working on the soldiers, Colonel. I'm going to put them to work in the city to keep the peace. They'll be responsible for lowering crime rates. I trust that's what you've been wanting for a while now?"

Colonel Truman nodded, "It is."

"I've also got a proposition for you," Kaylee smirked, "I've got reason to believe the prison's not working out like it should. If you can spare Corporal Hicks and a team, I would like them to investigate the prison guards to make sure they're doing their jobs as they've been hired to do."

"I will be sure to do so," Colonel Truman nodded, "Our officers will be happy with this agreement. We've been turning out thumbs for months now."

"I'll be glad that they can take some of the weight off my shoulders," Kaylee smiled.

"What about us?" McKinnon grumbled, "I want answers! You're so busy with all these high paid snobs and farm freaks you're forgetting about the everyday person."

Kaylee stood up. She already knew McKinnon was an angry man, but she knew how to deal with him.

"McKinnon, you say you're upset with me because I put my family before the needs of the city?"

McKinnon nodded, "Now you're putting that blonde brain to good use. I've only been mentioning this since the start of the revolution? How about you get your crippled doctor to make sure everything's working right upstairs."

Leanne was ready to jump out of her seat, but Kaylee grabbed her shoulder. She was careful not to hurt her sister, but at the same time she made sure to cause Leanne some pain to keep her in her place.

"You've got a family, right? Two sons and a little girl?"

McKinnon nodded.

"And would you do anything to make sure your children grow up happy and healthy."

"Of course."

"Would you say it's a parent's job to protect and provide for their family?"

"Yes."

"Then why would I be any different? I'm a mother of three, I've temporarily adopted my niece Summer and I'm responsible for the lives of the Rangers. You could say I'm the mother of my entire team. From my eldest daughter Samantha, to my son Christian, all the way to Rebecca and the Boom twins. And with so many children to look out for, that leaves little time for anything else, wouldn't you agree?"

McKinnon nodded, "I struggle with my three children."

"So the time I do have for myself, what do you think I do with it?"

"I don't know, that's the problem, isn't it?"

Kaylee rested her hands on the table as she looked at the older man.

"This city has been one of my top priorities since I walked through the shields," she said, "It's always been my job to protect it, and sometimes I take that job way too seriously. My poor husband has seen more tears then necessary because I've been dealing with paperwork, taxes, crimes, deaths, births, crisis and city events. The thing is, a lot of my work is done behind the scenes. If you were to look at my desk in the Garage, you'll see it's cluttered with my responsibilities for the city."

"Your point to this is..."

"My point is that, yes, I do focus a lot on my family, and sometimes the city takes a backseat when they are in need. But I'm a human being, just like you, and just like everyone else in this dome..."

"We hope," Leanne teased, pointing to her shoulder, "I definitely don't want a repeat of that little surprise."

"My family is just as important to me as your family is to you. I could work a little harder, but I'm doing the best I can. I'm a forty-one year old mother, raising who knows how many children between the ages of I don't know and three years old. I defend this city through my Rangers and I make sure everything's running smoothly inside the dome. By the end of the day, I'm worn out, and I'm tired."

"I understand that," McKinnon nodded, "But as one of the last cities on earth, we need to feel protected. When it comes down to it, we believe you would put your family's safety before our own."

Kaylee took a deep breath as her eyes caught the tapes sticking out of her bag. A smirk appeared on her lips as she looked back to McKinnon.

"I'm aware of this," she said, "As well as my niece. Forty-eight hours ago I signed her into Corinth prison. She committed murder, and though it was an act of self-defence to protect her Aunt, she felt she needed to be punished."

"So you locked her in a luxury cell?"

"Actually, I only signed her in. From there a guard took her to her assigned cell which she shares with another inmate. The reason I was late to this meeting and missed the first half was because Daniela got attacked. She wound up in the prison hospital wing with - pardon my French – some fat ass bruises and a few small fractures. As a ranger, it's nothing she can't handle, but the trauma it's caused her will forever haunt her.

Kaylee ran to her bag and pulled out her notebook, where she had thankfully marked down Daniela's words. On her way over to the meeting room, after looking through the Thesaurus, Kaylee quickly jotted down a description of Daniela's state when she left the hospital. She read it aloud for everyone to hear.

"_As I tried leaving Daniela's side, she grabbed my hand with such power. I turned to look at her as she told me that she made a mistake in choosing to come here. She wanted to go home. But I knew I had a responsibility to the city. Daniela's actions deserved some kind of punishment and she didn't have the right to rise above the law. She needed to remain in prison for her sentence. I tried to explain that to her and remind her she was in prison for a good reason, but the look she gave me will forever burn my mind. I've never seen such a strong girl break down the way she did. She begged me to release her, but I had to refuse. As I walked away, I heard the most heart retching cry."_

Kaylee set down the paper. From the corner of her eye she could see Leanne was trying to hold back the tears.

"I had been discussing your concerns with my family, and she came up with this solution. To prove to you all that I'm not always putting my family first, she agreed to go to jail. I let her do so. Mr. McKinnon, you and the other civilians are right, my family and the Rangers shouldn't rise above the law. But at the same time, those Rangers are innocent children. They fight everyday to protect you, your wife and your three children. The things they've seen, the pain they've gone through would be punishment enough."

Kaylee pointed to her notes, "Does that sound like something a sixteen year old girl should have to go through? Just so you can feel protected? While you sit on your couches and sleep in your beds, a child is taking the fall because she feels responsible."

Kaylee stood up straight, taking a deep breath, "I work as hard as I can to provide everyone with the safety and security they need, I can assure you that much. But I'm only human. Sometimes there's only so much I can do before I make a mistake. I wasn't trained by this job by some president. I've got no experience. I'm learning with you guys. All I ask from you is that you help me out when I make these mistakes instead of pinning the blame on my family."

Kaylee took her seat again and looked at McKinnon. He lowered his head as he reached for the papers Leanne handed out. He circled the section that addressed his group and nodded.

"I'll send this into the news," he said, "You've managed to convince me I'm protected. I'm sure the city will understand."


	60. Evidence

The RPM crew sat happily on the couch, eating snack foods as they waited for the evening news to pass. Kaylee had called them earlier to inform them that the council meeting was a success, and that the rebellion was coming to a close.

The eight Rangers were crowded on the two separate couches facing the TVs. Gem and Gemma had pulled up chairs from the kitchen and placed them on either side of the couches, creating a stereo sound for the Rangers between them when they spoke in their famous "Twin Speak".

Dr. K dragged a beanbag chair from her room and flopped it down in front of the couch. It looked very abnormal for the socially challenged child genius to be sitting in such a chair, but the Rangers quickly shrugged it off when Ziggy kicked his feet up to rest them on the back of Dr. K's chair.

The weatherman finished with his weather prediction, meaning the news was coming next.

"You know, he's wrong," Hayden sighed, poking her boyfriend as she announced this to the entire team, "It's supposed to snow tonight, not rain. Even when the weather is planned these guys still screw up."

"Maybe there was a change?" Summer shrugged.

"Change my ass," Hayden grumbled, crossing her arms, "The harvest season ends today. So it's gotta snow. It's been like that for four years now."

Just as the new anchor came on to announce the end of the rebellion Kaylee walked into the room. She snatched the remote from Hayden and turned the channel, causing a unanimous wave of complaints from the team.

"Sorry guys, but this is important," Kaylee said, "I need you all here with me, just in case I miss something."

"It couldn't have waited?" Ziggy asked, "I wanna know what compromises you had to make. Dillon told me I was going to have to wear the pink suit."

Ziggy looked to Dillon as the older boy nodded.

"I don't want to wear the pink suit."

Kaylee put the tape in and shook her head slowly, "No one's switching colours. This is security footage from the prison."

"Why do you have it?" Greg asked, immediately making the link, "Is Dani okay?"

"Depends on your definition of okay," Kaylee answered, "She'll live, but she's spending a day in hospital. Now shut up and watch. I need to see if you all draw the same conclusions as me."

The Rangers, the twins and Dr. K turned to face the TV as the footage began. Everyone immediately spotted Daniela sitting at one of the tables with probably the biggest man anyone had ever seen.

"Oh my God, he's having her for lunch!" Hayden squeaked, hiding her face behind Flynn, "Tell me when it's over."

"He's not eating her... listen," Dr. K said as Kaylee turned up the volume. Over all the background noise, the camera recorder managed to catch the conversation between Daniela and Tiny.

"_What has mom been doing to you?"_

"_She hits me. Whenever I do something she doesn't like... she hits me, grabs my hair... yesterday, just before we fell asleep, when I refused to sleep with her, bit me."_

"_The nerve of that woman!"_

"_There's still more. She stuffs me under her bed and tells me to sleep there. When we go to work, I've got to fill up everyone's buckets before lunch. Mom keeps calling me her bitch and I swear, I think she's just getting ready."_

"_You should tell someone. The guards are tough, but they can't let that kind of abuse happen. It's against the law! Even in prison."_

"He's protecting her?" Ziggy asked, "But he looks like your stereotypical bully! He's got to be a hundred feet tall... from side to side!"

Samantha came into the room after checking up on Engel. The eleven month old child was healing quickly, but Leanne (David had to stop working to make sure Ronny didn't kill anyone) still felt it best to keep an eye on her.

As Samantha walked in, she looked at the TV. She furrowed her brow in curiosity.

"Why are you guys watching that man eat Daniela?" she asked.

"He's not eating her," Hayden corrected, looking up at her sister, "He's protecting her from being eaten by the other monsters! Look at the size of that woman talking to Daniela."

"Shh!" Greg called as he leaned in closer to the TV. To watch Daniela' interaction with the prison guard.

"_Are you all blind? I'm a five-foot something teenage girl. Mom's a six-foot something giant! Who do you think was picking on who last night? Mom's a liar!"_

"_Mom's the best behaved prisoner here. We're thinking of cutting her sentence short for good behaviour."_

"_Are you kidding me?"_

"Mom's picking on Daniela?" Scott asked, looking to Kaylee. Kaylee shrugged.

"Daniela's accusing her of assault and mistreatment," she said, "They share a cell apparently. But I can't just assume that Daniela's right. That's why we're watching this."

"Daniela wouldn't lie," Greg stated, "She wouldn't try to get someone else in trouble! Obviously she's telling the truth."

"As far as we know, Daniela's being honest," Kaylee nodded, "But we don't know what her life in prison was like. She could have changed."

"In two days?" Greg scoffed, "C'mon Kaylee, she's your niece! You're supposed to trust her."

"I am, but I'm also supposed to look out for the city..."

Kaylee was interrupted when Mom let out a loud scream.

"_That's it! Get back here you little bitch! I'm going to kill you!"_

"_Leave her alone!"_

"_I know what I'm doing big guy. Look at little miss perfect now!"_

Everyone winced as Daniela started taking the beating from Mom, with no attempt at self defence. Greg's knuckles were white as he balled his fists and clenched his teeth to keep from lashing out.

Kaylee watched the tape closely as Tiny ran into the group of people beating Dani to rescue her. He yelled out threats to warn the other prisoners to stay away from her after handing her to a guard, who so far had done close to nothing to stopping the beating.

Kaylee ejected that tape to put in the one from the Daniela's cell. She pushed play once she reached Daniela's first night.

"Not another one," Greg groaned, not wanting to watch his girlfriend being bullied by people twice her size.

"I've got to do this," Kaylee said, "I've got to get to the bottom of this thing. For everyone's sake."

"Who is monitoring the prison now?" Hayden asked, "Obviously you wouldn't leave them to their daily routine after that big fight."

"I've asked Colonel Truman to send in Hicks and a few other men," Kaylee answered, never taking her eyes off the screen as Mom pulled Daniela's leg to keep her from reaching the top bunk, "Hicks is the only person I can trust with this job. Colonel Truman might snap if he saw this going on."

"Guys, shut up. The giant lady is talking," Summer hushed.

"Mom," Ziggy corrected her, "It's a prison nickname. Mine was Noodles."

"Just, shut up," Summer frowned.

"Noodles," Dillon laughed, but a slap in the stomach from Summer calmed him down.

"_I was in the cafeteria when Tiny came up to you. I know that out there, you're protected. But in here, you can't hide behind that whale. When we're in this building of the prison, you'll do as I say, go it?"_

"_I've seen worse."_

"_My name's Mom. Break my rules and you in for something bad."_

"_Like time out?"_

"_You won't want to find out. Now, go to sleep, bitch. Momma's looking forward to tomorrow."_

"She hit her!" Greg screamed. Kaylee smiled and nodded her head, quickly taking note of the date and time.

"Even better," she grinned, "She threatened Dani. Already we have proof that Mom's not playing nicely."

Kaylee fast forwarded through the rest of the tape, watching as the two women in the cell slept. When morning came, Kaylee could see Mom shoving past Daniela and forcing her into the wall whenever she got the chance.

Finally, it was the following night. Kaylee watched the footage carefully as the bickering between cell-mates began.

"_Are you crying?"_

"_No. My nose was..."_

"_You're crying! You're a little cry baby! Does cry baby want her mommy? Come let Mom take care of those tears..."_

"_Just leave me alone! You're not my mom. You're a disgusting human being!"_

"_You've got some nerve, bitch. I could kill you right now, and no one will ever care!"_

"Why are we watching this?" Greg asked, trying to keep the tears from falling. Mom was beating Daniela, and there was nothing he could do to protect her.

"Evidence," Kaylee said, "And I'm getting what I need. It seems that while some soldiers wanted more to do at work, others were perfectly happy sitting on their asses."

"Well, ignorance is bliss," Flynn shrugged. He was holding Hayden in his arms as the young blonde curled into him for safety. For as long as Hayden could remember, Daniela had been her best friend. It hurt to see her best friend being picked on for no good reason.

Kaylee once again switched the tapes to the work field. She didn't bother with the conversation between Mom and Daniela. She had all she needed there. She just wanted more proof that Mom was the one who caused the bruises to Daniela and that she was, in reality, one of the worst prisoners Corinth had.

Unfortunately, Kaylee found what she was looking for after Daniela accidentally hit Mom on the nose with the metal bucket, explaining why Mom was so angry when Daniela touched her nose.

Mom had savagely attacked Daniela without mercy. Kaylee marked the time and date down against before pulling out the tape. She handed all three to Dr. K.

"I've marked the times," she said, "Can you make me one copy of the three situations where Mom shows her true colours."

"The group beating, the prison cell and the work field?" Dr. K nodded, "It should be no problem. I'll have it done by tonight."

"Be sure to include the dialogue," Kaylee reminded the doctor as Rebecca scurried to her lab, "Put in subtitles if needed.

"What are we going to do?" Hayden asked, refusing to sit by when she was aware of the problems in the prison. Kaylee looked to her daughter.

"Nothing," she answered, causing everyone's jaws to drop.

"Mom, this is serious! People are getting hurt..."

"Didn't you see the news?" Kaylee smirked, collecting her papers, "Corinth soldiers are going to take care of the in-city problems. You guys only have to worry about T15 and H-07."

"Well... this is different," Gem laughed.

"For you guys," Gemma added.

"Nothing's going to..."

"... change for us! As long as we still..."

"... get our Boom-Time!"

"Yeah, Boom-Time's still a-go," Kaylee smiled, "In fact, you two are late. You better hurry up before Becca gets started and locks you out again."

The boom-twins ran to the lab, unphased by the changes the rebellion caused. The Rangers, however, were still slightly shocked.

"So... we're not protecting the city?" Ziggy asked, "Wasn't that our job?"

"No," Kaylee said, "Your job was to keep Venjix from taking over. Things got a little out of control. We put them back to the way things should be."

Kaylee retreated into her office, leaving the Rangers and Samantha to ponder their new jobs.

-----RPM-----

"Look, Ronny," David started, holding onto this seat as Ronny drove home from the prison, "Hicks was coming in as we left. Obviously Kaylee's got a handle on this..."

"Daniela's in prison!" Ronny screamed, turning her gaze away from the road for a few seconds, "Does that not bother you at all?"

"Immensely," David nodded, "But she did do something wrong."

"Kaylee didn't go to prison when she purposely murdered Jordan!" Ronny reminded her husband, "Now she's sending our kid away to be beaten up by the bigger kids? Honestly, do you even care about your daughter?"

"Of course I do," David nodded, "But..."

"I swear, if you try to defend Kaylee once more time I will throw you out of this car," Ronny snapped. David kept his mouth shut for a moment, waiting for Ronny to calm down. She took a deep breath and nodded, "Good. Now just... shut up."

"Ronny... you're overreacting."

Ronny's head turned again as she glared at her husband, "I said, shut up."

David didn't say another word for the rest of the ride home. Ronny was already upset, and she was at the wheel. He didn't want to get into an accident because he kept trying to reason with her. He knew how dangerous it was to mess with a mother when her cub was in danger. He learned that lesson the first time Lily asked him to babysit Heather, before Daniela was born.

When the couple got home, Ronny stormed to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. David stood at the bottom of the stairs, wondering if he should try to go to bed with her, or simply take the couch and leave her to calm down. He could hear her crying from where he was standing and decided to try and see if she was okay.

He opened the door slightly, "Ron..."

"I swear to GOD...!" Ronny yelled, throwing a pillow. David shut the door quickly and grabbed a blanket from the hall closet. He went to the living room and rested on the couch.

"What the hell is going on?" he breathed.


	61. Uncertain Promises

"Our job is to keep T15 from destroying the city?" Ziggy asked, pacing around the room as he pondered what Kaylee had told the team the day before. "Great, now we're going to be bored all day!"

"YES!" Summer cheered as she sunk the eight ball. Flynn rolled his head back as he prepared to hand the yellow Ranger a twenty.

"Someone's really gotta burn this pool table," he muttered.

Summer pouted, "How else am I supposed to pay for dates?"

"She pays?" Scott asked from the couch as he turned to Dillon.

"I came here with no memory," Dillon reminded the red Ranger, "Earning money wasn't my primary concern. And anyways, this chick's loaded."

"This chick?" Summer frowned, crossing her arms.

"I love you," Dillon smiled sweetly, trying to erase his mistake.

"We'll see," Summer teased.

"Ha-ha!" Hayden giggled, "No nine o'clock kiss tonight."

Dillon turned to Hayden with a sharp look, "Do you think we do it every night?"

Hayden nodded as she imitated the sound of the bed squeaking.

"Hayden, stop that," Samantha scolded her sister. "They have nowhere to do it."

"Coat closet!" Hayden started, "Mom's office! Middle of the night..."

"Your bed," Dillon interrupted, and Hayden's smile dropped.

"Ew... I don't like this game..."

"Anyways," Samantha began as she tried to change the topic of conversation, "Anyone notice anything weird about T15?"

"She looks exactly like me," Dawn answered, shaking her head sadly, "I know, I know, I'm much prettier. But it's not her fault she uses a little too much bitch for her hair."

Samantha rolled her eyes, "Aside from that."

"Not really," Scott frowned, "As a matter of fact, we haven't seen her lately. It's all been H-07's work."

"OH!" Hayden called as her hand shot up, "I so know the answer."

"No more sugared cereals," Flynn laughed.

"She hasn't been around!" Hayden smiled, "Don't you all remember the bedtime stories?"

The Rangers all frowned as they exchanged glances. Summer's head dropped into her hands as she sighed deeply.

"Hay..."

"Right... not all of you were raised by former Rangers..." Hayden breathed, "Okay, well, before bed my parents always used to tell me a story about one of their Ranger adventures. And every time the bad guy went on a long ass hiatus, there was this huge ass monster attack and problem the Rangers had to deal with. Mom said the longest hiatus she remembers was in Mystic Force, and it lasted ten weeks."

"Wow that sucks,"Ziggy breathed, "Ten weeks without Power Rangers saving the day."

"Well, good for the city, bad for the Rangers," Summer nodded.

Suddenly the alarm started blaring. The Rangers looked around, feeling slightly relieved they now had something to do.

"You guys go," Samantha ordered, "I'll take Dr. K's job while she works on the evidence tapes."

"I'll go with you guys," Dawn smiled, "If this is a T15 bot, I want in."

"Come on guys," Scott called, waving the Rangers into battle, "Let's go do our only job."

-----RPM-----

David had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach since he had woken up on the couch. He hadn't heard a peep from Ronny all night and he hadn't seen her all morning. Something was up. After making his lunch he crept up the stairs.

"Ron?" he called softly, poking his head into the bedroom, "Are you here?"

"Go away, David," Ronny sobbed, "I don't want to hear it."

David didn't listen. He sat on the bed beside his wife and pulled her in, "Daniela's going to be fine. I promise you."

"Everyone says that," Ronny whispered, "They always make promises when they can't control things. They think it helps. But it doesn't. Why give me hope when there's no guarantee the future will work out the way you want it too?"

"Kaylee says..."

"Don't mention her name," Ronny growled, suddenly becoming very tense. "She locked Dani in jail. She hurt Dani."

"But babe, Dani wanted to go to prison," David whispered, pulling Ronny in close, though she tried to pull away. "It was her choice."

"She should have said no!" Ronny frowned, "Dani's just a kid! She doesn't belong in a prison!"

"She was trying to explain this to you, Ron... but you weren't listening... Kaylee..."

"Shut up!" Ronny screamed, "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you not care?"

"Of course I do..."

"Then why are you agreeing with her choice to throw our daughter in jail! You're Daniela's father, you're supposed to protect her!"

"Think long term, Ronny..."

"There might not be a long term!" Ronny yelled, "Daniela's already taken a huge beating! What if this continues."

"Kaylee..."

Strike three for David as Ronny's hot temper finally boiled over. Ronny grabbed his arm and shoved him out of the room almost pushing him down the stairs.

"Get out of my house!" she screamed, returning to the bedroom to toss his things out. "Just get away from me!"

"Ronny!" David called as his clothes dropped from the upstairs. He collected them in his arms, trying to get to his wife. "Babe, I'm sorry, but..."

"Go away!" Ronny screamed, tossing a suitcase of the railing. David took it as a sign. He packed up his things and went for the door. Just as he was about to leave he saw Ronny had the phone in her hand.

"Who are you calling?" he asked, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.

"My sister. Now leave!"

David lowered his head, closing the door behind him.

-----RPM-----

"Systems said the attack bot was right here," Scott frowned, searching the plaza for any sign of a monster.

"Since when have attack bots shown up right away?" Dawn asked. "I remember walking in after you guys arrived. It added drama."

"Found it!" Hayden called, already delivering a few blows to the monster that looked like an oversized chimney. Scott and the others joined in quickly as Hayden was knocked to the side.

"Grab his arms!" Scott ordered, taking the monster's right arm, while Dillon grabbed the left. Just as Ziggy was about to throw a few punches, the monster kicked his leg up. His foot rested on Ziggy's stomach, keeping the L-Green Ranger from moving in closer. The monster bent his knee slightly then kicked out, sending Ziggy into a table. He flailed his arms, forcing Scott and Dillon to let go.

Summer and Flynn joined while Dawn, Greg and Mike helped the other three Rangers up. Summer swept her leg under the monster's to try and take him down, but he stepped away. He swung his arm around, sending Summer to the ground.

Flynn grabbed the bot and forced him forward, but the bot was stronger. He pushed Flynn back.

With no one to attack, the monster slammed both feet on the ground as a puff of smoke blew out of his head. Electric shocks shot out from the cloud, striking each Ranger.

"Ouch," Mike grumbled, getting to his feet. "That hurt."

"Why don't we kick it up a notch?" Scott asked, pulling out his morpher, "Ready?"

"Ready!" the others nodded.

"RPM, get in gear!"

Ziggy was the first to finish morphing and charged the monster. He swung his arm, but got his hand caught in the monster's mouth.

"Ow!" he screamed, "Help, it's biting me! It's biting me!"

Dawn rolled her eyes and sighed as she pulled the L-Green Ranger away from the bot and kicked it down. The bot rolled slightly before taking aim to a building. Suddenly, he shot smoke out from his top.

The people inside the building began running out before they were poisoned, but the bot didn't seem to want to end there. He grabbed two of the people trying to escape, one man and one woman, and held their arms.

"Grahgar!" he screamed, shaking them around as the Rangers regrouped.

"Why can't he just tell us what he's saying?" Hayden sighed.

"Give up, or I destroy them," Flynn translated. Hayden gave him a funny look, "What... I'm omnilingual, remember?"

"Right, that was the day you got powers and Dawn and I almost died," Hayden frowned. She turned her attention back to the monster, "How about, you let the nice people go, and we destroy you? Sounds fair, right?"

"Hardly," Flynn laughed, "But let's see if he goes for it."

"GARAGRA!" the monster shouted, tossing the two people aside.

"Dawn, Greg, go protect them!" Scott shouted, "We'll take care of this bot."

"This is too easy," Ziggy smirked, finally getting a good position and grip on the bot. He lifted the chimney over his head and beamed happily. "Let's finish this bot."

"GAR!" the bot screamed.

"Stuff it!" Hayden yelled, landing her fist in its metallic body and causing a dent. She pulled her hand away, shaking off the slight plain as Flynn and Dillon jumped in to finish the job.

When they were done, Ziggy tossed the bot across the plaza. He hit the ground roughly, rolling for a few moments before trying to get back up.

Suddenly, there was a green streak through the plaza before Kaylee appeared, her claws drawn from her knuckles as the bot broke into three pieces.

"Well then," Dillon frowned, "I thought this was our job."

Kaylee retracted her claws and made her way over to the Rangers. Ziggy made a fist and examined it carefully.

"How do you do that?"

"How did you never jab me?" Hayden frowned.

"I have," Kaylee nodded, "You were too young to remember; and you healed so it wasn't much of a problem."

"True."

"Why are you here?" Summer asked, "This is supposed to be our time as Rangers."

"Sorry, but I just finished making plans for a meeting to show the evidence. I was going to invite you along when I saw you were in a fight. I helped out."

Suddenly, the couple from the building walked over to Kaylee. The woman slapped her across the face while the man glared. Hayden tried to throw herself on the woman, but Dawn held her back.

"Okay, next time I won't help out," Kaylee frowned, rubbing her cheek, "What did I do?"

"You kidnapped our son!" the woman screamed. The man, who everyone assumed as her husband, took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Calm down, Betty," he breathed.

"I kidnapped... what are you talking about?"

"We're the Samuels," the man explained, "We thought out son died in the Venjix attack a year ago, but it turns out you have him."

"Mom... are they talking about..."

"Christian?" Summer finished for Hayden, turning to her Aunt, "They think Christian is their son?"

"Christian is our son," Mrs. Samuels barked.

"Then why didn't you come for him earlier?" Kaylee asked, "We would have been more than happy to return him to his family..."

This earned Kaylee another slap across the face. Dawn felt Hayden pull on her arm and once again had to restrain her cousin.

"Okay... why don't you come back to the Garage? We can talk about this there."

"Kaylee, what about Daniela?" Greg asked, "You can't just leave her case because two people claim to be Christian's parents!"

"I know," Kaylee nodded, "I'll figure this out..."

"My mom can go," Summer offered, "Family emergency."

"But that's what got us in this mess," Greg groaned.

"But family's important," Hayden shrugged, glaring at the Samuels, "No one messes with mine."

"Dani will be safe," Summer assured Greg, "I promise."

-----RPM-----

The doorbell rang at the Hartford Mansion, causing Mack to pause the TV and Rose to untangle herself from Mack's arms to allow him to answer it.

"David?" Mack frowned, seeing his best friend's husband at his doorstep, almost in tears. He stepped aside to let the doctor in, "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Rose came over beside her husband, "Aside from the whole Daniela thing he means."

"Ronny kicked me out," David whispered, "I have nowhere else to go."

This much was true. David didn't have any siblings and his parents passed away a long time ago. Ronny and Daniela were the only family he had. Of course, Ronny's family was his family, but after she kicked him out, he didn't think it was safe to run to any of his brother in-law's houses.

"Come in," Mack shut the door behind the doctor and took his bags. Rose led Doc to the kitchen and offered him something to drink. Doc declined politely.

Finally, Mack asked, "So what happened?"

David sighed, "I don't know. Last night I slept on the couch because she was mad at everything... then today I tried to comfort her, but she snapped."

"I warned you about this," Rose frowned, "I told you, Ronny's short temper and inability to see things from another point of view when she's mad will bite you in the butt."

"I guess... but I don't get it... She's mad at Kaylee for throwing Daniela in prison, but every time I try to explain things to her she flips out."

"If Ronny's mad at Kaylee, why are you taking her side?" Mack asked.

"I'm not... I'm trying to explain to Ronny that maybe Kaylee was right."

"Okay, I see where things went downhill," Rose smirked, "You tried to tell Ronny she was wrong."

"Big no-no," Mack nodded, "Never tells your wife she's wrong. Especially when she's always right."

"We're always, always right," Rose smiled, "Ronny's always, always, always right."

"I know all this..."

"Apparently not," Rose said, "But you're welcome to stay here until things cool down. I'll get the guest bed ready for you."

"Are you sure it won't be weird?" David asked, "Ronny's your best friend. I wouldn't want this to come between you."

"And because she's my best friend, I have to take care of her man when she's too hysterical to do so," Rose laughed.

As Rose walked away, David turned to Mack, who was chuckling and shaking his head.

"You tried to tell Ronny she was wrong," he laughed, "Boy, that's a good one."

"This isn't funny," David frowned, "My marriage is at risk. Nothing good can come when your wife kicks out of the house and calls her sister! That spells DANGER!"

"We'll get over this," Mack smiled, slapping his hand down comfortingly on David's shoulder, "I promise everything's going to work out."

-----

"_They always make promises when they can't control things. They think it helps. But it doesn't. Why give me hope when there's no guarantee the future will work out the way you want it too?"_


	62. Samuels

Kaylee and the Rangers led Mr. and Mrs. Samuels into the garage, finding Samantha holding her little brother in her arms. Christian, still not warmed up to his oldest sister, seemed to be trying to escape; until he saw the two people with his mother.

He didn't recognise them at all, but he understood that there was something about them that was making everyone look at him. He drew into his sister, hiding away from all the eyes.

"There you are!" Mrs. Samuels cried happily, rushing over to her son, stealing him from Samantha's arms and kissing him, "I missed you so much. Don't worry, mommy's here."

Christian looked over at Kaylee and reached out, wanting the mother he knew.

"Mommy..." he whimpered. Kaylee reached over to take him and sooth him, but Mrs. Samuels pulled away.

"You're not his mother," she frowned.

"As far as he knows, I am," Kaylee nodded, "Just let me tell him what's going on. You're scaring him right now."

"Oh, that's okay," Mr. Samuels smiled, taking Christian from his wife, "Daddy is going to make it all better."

Mr. Samuels gently grabbed Christian and held him up.

"Hey, buddy," Mr. Samuels smiled, flashing crooked teeth, "We're going to have lots of fun! We're going to take you home."

"I'm not so sure about this..." Kaylee frowned, "He doesn't seem to remember you guys at all."

"Oh, he was just a baby when we lost him," Mrs. Samuels assured the blonde.

"He was two years old," Kaylee corrected.

"He was a big boy," Hayden smiled, grabbing her brother's hand, "Right, squirt!"

Christian fell into Hayden's arms, desperate to be protected by his family.

Summer walked back into the room after retrieving her mother. Kira was right behind her daughter as she looked at the gathering of people.

"Summer told me I was needed at the prison..." Kira started, looking suspiciously at the new couple. Mr. and Mrs. Samuels shot her a look that made her turn away.

"Yeah, something came up and I need to be here," Kaylee nodded. Dr. K walked in with a disk in her hands. She handed it to Kaylee, who in turn gave it to Kira, "All the evidence you need is on this tape."

"Why do I get a bad feeling from them?" Kira whispered to her friend as she nodded her head in the direction of the Samuels.

"They claim to be Christian's parents. I don't want to leave right now, just in case this is all a hoax."

"I've never seen them before," Kira frowned.

"So?"

"So, the only reason they would just be coming for him after a year would be because they were living in another city. Everyone in Corinth knows Christian is your adopted kid except him. Any responsible parent would have claimed him a year ago. But if they lived in Newtech, they would have just found out once the borders opened."

"HEY!" Hayden yelled as Mr. Samuels ripped Christian from her arms and shoved the pink Ranger away. Dillon, who was standing right behind Hayden, caught her, keeping her on her feet.

Christian started screaming, trying to grab his sister. But Mr. Samuels started bouncing him gently to try and sooth him.

"You're scaring him!" Summer frowned, pointing to her little brother. Though he was Kaylee and Dustin's son, Summer had been their temporary daughter when he had been adopted. She saw him as nothing less than a brother, and he would forever hold that spot in her heart.

"I'm his father," Mr. Samuels growled.

"Put him down," Dustin ordered, coming up behind Summer and glaring angrily at the man claiming to be the father of his son. Christian saw his father and bit down on Mr. Samuel's arm. The man let him go to nurse the bite and Christian ran to his father, wrapping his little arms around Dustin's legs.

"He bit me!"

"Look," Kaylee sighed, grabbing Kira's arm as she was about to leave, "I don't like this."

"Well it doesn't matter what you like," Mrs. Samuels smirked, "You're not his mother."

"Alright, fine, I'm not his _mother_, whatever you think that means," Kaylee growled, "But I'm still not about to hand him over. If you really are his parents, I want DNA tests and confirmations from a trustworthy doctor."

Mr. and Mrs. Samuels exchanged worried looks, but tried to mask it from Kaylee.

"We shouldn't have to do that," Mr. Samuels barked softly, "He's our son."

"Until you can prove it, I'm keeping Christian in the care of the RPM Rangers. If you truly are his parents, you have nothing to worry about. Just go to a doctor, take a test, have the doctor send in the results and Christian will be yours."

"In the meantime," Kaylee lightly shoved Kira back in with her family, "I can go to the prison. It's not instantaneous, so I'll have time to do both."

Kaylee looked to her son as she gathered the evidence from Kira. She smiled softly at him and blew him a kiss. Christian did the same and smiled happily at his mother before cuddling into the legs of his father. Dustin picked up the small boy and held him gently. After all the drama, he figured Christian just needed a good hug.

"Stupid world leaders," Mrs. Samuels huffed as she and her husband stormed out of the house to go see a doctor, "Always trying to make things difficult. I swear to god, one day..."

Her voice trailed off Samantha slammed the door behind her.

"I don't like them," she grumbled loudly, "Even if they are his real parents, they don't look like they can take care of him!"

"I don't trust them as far as I can throw them," Hayden nodded, "I'm getting to the bottom of this."

-----RPM-----

The phone rang at the Marks residence and Lily quickly ran to the kitchen to pick it up. Ronny was in no state to talk with anyone.

"Hello?"

"_Ronny, I know you hate me, but come by the prison! I promise you'll like what you see!"_

"Kaylee? It's Lily."

"_Oh... wrong number?"_

"No," Lily chuckled as Ronny walked by the kitchen, "It's the right number. I'm staying here for a little while until Ronny calms down."

"_Okay, perfect! Can you bring her over to the prison? I've got evidence to take down the people who hurt Daniela."_

"Kayl, you're dead to her," Lily whispered, keeping her voice down so Ronny didn't figure out Kaylee was on the phone, "And I'm afraid that is she sees you, you'll actually be dead. I saw her emotions... scary place right now."

Lily heard a long sigh on the other end.

"_Alright,"_ Kaylee said, _"But if you can, let her know that I'm working on this thing and if it goes as planned, the next week for Daniela should go by smoothly."_

"She wants Daniela out of prison."

"_I can't do that," _Kaylee said, _"Daniela's got a short sentence. She's gotta stick to it."_

"Everyone knows that... except Ronny."

"_Can you talk to her, please?"_

"I'll see what I can do," Lily promised. "Good luck."

-----RPM-----

Kaylee stepped into the holding room, where the meeting between herself, Colonel Truman, Corporal Hicks and the Prison Warden was going to be held.

Kaylee looked around at the men around the table.

"Someone talk," she said.

Hicks stood up, tossing down a folder of paper.

"I can safely say that this prison hasn't been doing the job it's supposed to do," he said. "Guards sit around all day. My men and I have even seen them leave the prisoners alone."

"I saw that too," Kaylee nodded, looking at the Warden, "During work hours. You left the women alone in the field. That's a lot of unstable people to leave unsupervised."

"Look, what we do in this prison shouldn't concern you."

"As head of Corinth, it kind of does," Kaylee nodded, "Daniela was hurt because your guards did nothing. Now, a few cuts and bruises would be understandable, it's prison after all, but for all the prisoners to gang up on her and send her to the hospital... how does that happen?"

"My guards were working on it!" the Warden cried.

"Not fast enough," Hick said, "I talked to some prisoners. One named Tiny told me that the guards did nothing to stop the beating. In fact, they stood around waiting for more guards to show up."

"There were very few men supervising the rec. room," the Warden explained.

"Why?" Kaylee asked, "All the prisoners were inside that one room. Why were there only a few guards inside?"

"I didn't think anything was going to happen," the Warden frowned, "Nothing's ever happened..."

"June 26th, 2024," Hicks smirked, flipping through his folder, "In that very room, one man was murdered. There were only three guards supervising when it happened, and a total of three hundred prisoners."

"Explain that," Kaylee smirked, crossing her arms. As footage from Daniela's time in prison began playing. She quickly paused it to give the Warden time to speak.

"It was a freak accident," the Warden frowned, "No one could have predicted it would happen?"

"What colour is the sky in your world?" Colonel Truman asked, getting to his feet, "This is a prison. Beatings happen daily. Once man steals someone's jell-o and fists fly! A freak accident would be if one prisoner helped out another just to be nice."

Kaylee rolled her eyes, "You and all your men are fired," she said. The warden rose from his seat.

"Excuse me."

"Fired. Gone, out of the job," Kaylee explained, "I have proof if you would like. You haven't been doing your job. Yes, the people in here are prisoners, but they are people. They need to be taught some discipline. Most of them just need a little rehabilitation into society! You're not helping them become better people!"

"Show me the proof!" the Warden cried. Kaylee started her tapes.

"Gladly."

After watching the tapes of Daniela getting abused by Mom in the prison, and proving that the guards weren't doing the job they were hired to do, Kaylee won the case. The Warden had nothing to say that wouldn't be turned back against him. Even he admitted he was done when he realised that Daniela had been speaking the truth all along, and that he and his men had failed.

Kaylee wiped the dust off her hands, "Look, I don't want to be mean. You guys probably have families you're trying to support. So long as you accept a yearlong probation from the first work day at your next job, to be sure that you are working, I'll gladly have people assist you in finding new jobs. We need a bunch of workers to help build new Food Boomers to hand out to the farmers."

The Warden lowered his head and nodded, "I'll inform the guards immediately."

Kaylee smiled as she looked to Hicks, "Hey, want a job?" she asked him.

"I already have one," he answered.

"How about a promotion," Kaylee smiled, "and raise? I'll leave this prison to you. It's a tough job, but I trust you can run this place properly. What do you say?"

Hicks smiled, saluting the commander, "I'll do a great job."

Kaylee grinned and handed the keys to Hicks, "It's all yours. I won't be running it anymore. My main focus should be the city itself and the Rangers. Don't make me regret this."

"I won't," he said.

"I'll need a new right hand man," Colonel Truman told Kaylee.

"I've been hearing a lot of good things about Vasquez," Kaylee smirked. "And with all of Hick's men moving out, you'll need a new team in the control tower. She'll have a team ready to be trained in that department. I assume it'll take no more than a week to get everyone into their new positions."

Colonel Truman nodded, "Less men in the Tower means more work for everyone," he said, "Vasquez will do a fine job."

Kaylee collapsed on the table, breathing happily, "Thank God!" she said, "That solves your military work problem. Fires those not working to give the people who want work something to do."

"Now, get out of my prison," Hicks smirked, showing his former bosses to the door, "Visiting hours are over."

Kaylee turned to Hicks for a moment, "Just, do me one favour."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Daniela's still a prisoner. She wants to be treated like one. Don't treat her any differently than you would the others just because she's a Ranger."

"I'll do my best," Hicks nodded.

-----RPM-----

Daniela was rested in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Because she was in a prison hospital, there was nothing to do in the room to pass the time.

Her head still hurt like a bitch and her bruises were still showing. Daniela was in too much pain, she could barely move.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. A new guard, who Daniela didn't recognise, stepped in.

"Sit up," he ordered, "You're going back to your cell."

Daniela's heart stopped, "W-what... but..."

"We've given you another cell-mate," the guard informed her, "It's not Beatrice."

"Then... who is it?" Daniela asked. The guard shrugged as he slapped the handcuffs on Daniela and pulled her out of bed.

"I don't know," he said, "But I can assure you, Beatrice won't be bothering you anymore."

"But she has friends," Daniela whispered, "Scary friends."

The guard led Daniela out into the hall, where they passed by Hicks. He smiled softly at her, seeing the distressed look on her face.

"You've got nothing to worry about," he smiled, "I'm running this place now."

Daniela felt slightly at ease, but was still panicked. Mom had many friends in the prison. Chances were that Daniela was going to wind up with one of them. If that happened, her days of pain weren't over.

The guard put her in her cell and took off the handcuffs. He slid the door shut and left Daniela alone.

"Hello?" Daniela called, stepping nervously into her cell, "Anyone here?"

"You bitch!" Daniela heard someone scream, "As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to kill you!"

Daniela pressed her back against a wall, recognising Mom's voice. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed loudly, curling up into a ball.

"Hey, it's okay," a softer voice hushed her, "I won't hurt you. I promise."

A guard came running down the halls, stopping in front of Daniela's cell.

"Is everything okay?" he asked her.

Daniela looked up, seeing a kind face as her cell-mate looked over her. She turned to the guard.

"Yeah... I think so..."

The guard nodded and walked off as Daniela's cell-mate offered her hand, "I'm Giggles. You're Red, right?"

"Y-yeah," Daniela nodded while getting to her feet. She could hear Mom screaming in the distance. Giggles waved it off, giggling.

"Solitary is a couple cells down from here. Mom's been yelling at you since she was locked up."

"That's... comforting," Daniela frowned. Giggles hugged her new friend.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you!" she giggled, "No one's going to hurt my new best friend!"

Daniela winced as Giggles squeezed her, hurting her injuries, but she was thankful for the gesture.

"So, Giggles, what are you in for?" Daniela asked.

"I robbed a vending machine," Giggles shrugged.

"Oh, that doesn't sound so..."

"Then I pushed it over and murdered my son," Giggles continued, "But he was a brat. It's okay."

"Oh boy," Daniela rolled her eyes as she crawled into the bottom bunk. With her injuries, there was no way she would be able to reach the top. "This is going to be a long week."

"Then, to make sure he was dead, I pulled his body out and bashed his bead into the machine. When his skull cracked, I knew he was dead."

Daniela shut her eyes, "One week," she muttered slowly, "Just one more week and I'll be back home with my mom and my dad and Greg... everything's going to be just the way it was before."

-----RPM-----

Hayden followed the Samuels couple carefully as they walked into the doctor's office. No one knew she was away from the garage, but she had to make sure these people were real. She wasn't about to let them take her brother if they were pretending to be his parents.

She sat outside on a bench, waiting for them to walk back out again. Christian didn't trust them from the moment he saw them. Hayden didn't see a reason why she should, if he didn't.

"I'm watching you," she whispered, waiting for the couple.


	63. Broken Up

The dome was getting cold and dark. Hayden had long since fallen asleep on the bench as she waited for the Samuels to walk out of their appointment. Thanks to Leanne's new system, it shouldn't have taken too long. But Hayden had been out of the bench for hours.

She was awoken from her sleep when a hand covered her mouth. She looked up to see Mr. and Mrs. Samuels. As the hand came off, Hayden chuckled nervously.

"You weren't supposed to notice me," she whispered.

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Samuels asked.

"Napping," Hayden answered, "Apparently my bed is being used by my cousin and her boyfriend. I would rather..."

"You're not spying on us, are you?" Mrs. Samuels asked.

"Why would you assume that?" Hayden frowned, "My Uncle works in this building. Maybe he told me to wait here. Did you ever think about that?"

"Whatever you think we're up to, we're not," Mr. Samuels growled, "We got the tests back from the doctor. Why don't you take us back to Christian?"

"But I'm visiting my uncle," Hayden frowned, "He told me to wait right here."

"We all know that's a lie," Mr. Samuels smirked, grabbing the back of Hayden's neck and dragging her along with him and his wife, "C'mon. I'm sure whatever it is you're doing, it can wait."

"You're lucky I don't... OW! Did you just electrocute me?"

Mrs. Samuels quickly fixed something on her husband's arm while Mr. Samuels kept his solid grip on Hayden's neck.

"Shocked," he answered, "Stupid carpet in the doctor's office."

"There is no carpet," Hayden frowned, "Carpets hold aller... OW! Stop that!"

Hayden pulled away from the Samuels and rubbed the back of her neck. Something wasn't right.

"I don't trust you guys," she warned them, "Something fishy is going on."

"Why would you think that?" Mrs. Samuels asked.

"You don't grab people by the back of their necks. Parents should know that!"

"You're being a bad little girl," Mr. Samuels smirked.

"You're being creepy," Hayden shivered. She was really getting a bad vibe from the couple. She had never felt this way about anyone before. No man should ever smirk while telling a seventeen year old girl she was being bad. It made him look like a pervert. "Whatever you're up to, I don't like it."

"We're not up to anything," Mr. Samuels tried to assure the girl, "Now, take us to your house."

"No," Hayden frowned, "Show me the tests. If I can't get the results, I'm not taking you to my brother."

Hayden crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. Suddenly, the Samuels couple shoved right past her.

"Fine, we know our own way," they said, turning down an alley. Most likely it was going to be used as a short cut.

Hayden turned with them and followed their trail. They were well aware she was behind them, but she didn't want to let them out of her sight. She wanted proof they were liars and irresponsible parents.

-----RPM-----

"Honestly, Ronny," Lily groaned, trying to pull the blankets off her older sister, "Get up! Go apologize to David and be the happy family Dani wants to come home too!"

"NO!" Ronny screamed, grabbing her blankets and pulling back, causing Lily to tumble onto the bed.

"Why the hell are you so worked up?" Lily asked, though her voice was muffled by the mattress as she pushed herself up slowly, "He loves you, you love him. It's a simple apology. You don't have to be right all the time."

"He didn't come home," Ronny whispered, ""NO!" Ronny screamed, grabbing her blankets and pulling back, causing Lily to tumble onto the bed.

"Why the hell are you so worked up?" Lily asked, though her voice was muffled by the mattress as she pushed herself up slowly, "He loves you, you love him. It's a simple apology. You don't have to be right all the time."

"He didn't come home," Ronny whispered, "He was supposed to come home and try. He's supposed to prove that he loves her enough to work through this."

Lily sighed, "Ron, that's called a fairy tale. This is real life!"

"He doesn't love Daniela!" Ronny screamed.

"You still believe that?" Lily asked, "Come on! It's been a day. Even you can calm down after a day! Remember when I was first learning to drive and smashed your car! It only took you 23 hours before you went back on your word and spoke to me. Believe me, I counted."

"Fine," Ronny grumbled, getting out of bed and throwing a sweater on. "I'll go talk to him. But one wrong move and I'm calling it off."

"Calling what off?" Lily asked, chasing her sister as Ronny walked out of the house, "There's nothing to call off... is there?"

Just before Lily grabbed the keys to lock the door, she spotted a picture of the Marks family.

"Oh fuck... Ronny!"

-----RPM-----

Tiny was saving a spot and his jell-o for Daniela in the cafeteria as he waited for her to show up. He heard that she had been removed from the hospital wing and was excited to see his little friend up and about.

Finally, Daniela walked in. Tiny smiled, until he saw someone bouncing about behind her. He noticed this new person was clinging to her arm and seemed to be bugging Daniela. As the red head sat down, so did the new person.

"Ooh, who is he?" she asked, pointing to Tiny.

"Giggles, Tiny, Tiny, Giggles," Daniela said, introducing the two.

"Who is she?" Tiny asked, putting his jell-o on Dani's tray.

"A psychotic, hyperactive mom who makes me look lazy," Daniela explained, "She's my cell mate!"

"We're best friends!" Giggles nodded, moving her head so quickly Tiny feared it was going to pop right off.

"Yay!" Daniela cheered, though it was evident that the happiness was faked for Giggles sake, "Now I have someone to stay up all night with me and talk instead of going to bed! What fun! I'm not even tired!"

Daniela let out a huge yawn that Giggles didn't catch. She just grabbed Dani in a hug and smiled at Tiny.

"Isn't she the cutest?" she asked him, "All night she kept telling me these funny things. What was it you loved to tell me?"

"Shut the fuck up before I hang myself; I'm still suicidal?" Daniela answered while giving Tiny a desperate look that make him chuckle.

"Don't kids say the silliest things?"

"This should be a fun week," Tiny nodded. The trio started eating their breakfast and he noticed that Giggles was avoiding her eggs. Being the big man he was, Tiny was hungry.

"Hey, um, Giggles, if you're not going to eat those..."

Tiny pointed to the eggs on her plate with his fork. Giggles seemed to get the wrong impression as she slammed her hands down and jumped out of her seat.

"You see these eggs, fat guy?" she growled, "These eggs are mine. Not yours. MINE! And from the looks of things, you don't need any more food than you already have. Now shut your pie hole and finish your own meal? Got it?"

Tiny nodded furiously. Giggles smiled happily, returning to eating her meal in peace.

"Good. So, did anyone else dream of rainbows and flowers last night? It was lovely."

Daniela moved in closer to Tiny, muttering through her teeth, "Six days, then I'm free."

"You're not leaving me alone with her, are you?" Tiny asked softly.

"You're coming with me," Daniela nodded, "She murdered her son. Who knows what she'll do next?"

"Who wants to hear a joke?" Giggles asked suddenly, bringing the entire cafeteria into the conversation, "Okay, so there was this bear, and he was dressed in a monkey suit..."

"Oh, God," Daniela groaned.

"Don't like jokes?" Tiny frowned.

"She's told me this joke," Daniela whispered, "Eleven times."

"And he said, I'm sorry sir, I don't see the point!" Giggles began laughing madly as everyone returned to their meals. "Don't you all get it? He's a bear, and he didn't see the point?"

Daniela took Giggles hand gently and whispered as politely as she could.

"It doesn't make sense."

"LAUGH!" Giggles screamed.

"Ha... ha... ha," Daniela chuckled nervously, nudging Tiny to do the same.

"That's why I love you two!" Giggles smiled, reaching over the table to hug her two new friends, "You're so supportive."

"Six more days, six more days..."

-----RPM-----

Hayden frowned as the Samuels stepped into a bar.

"Okay, the detour through the convenience store and the drug store, I could live with, but a bar? What the hell are you going to do here?"

Mr. Samuels took his wife's arm, leading her past the counter and through the door marked _Employees Only_. Hayden groaned, flashing the bartender her RPM ID badge before following.

"Seriously?" Hayden frowned; making sure the door was shut behind her. As she turned around, Mr. Samuels slammed a large, metallic pole over her head, sending her to the ground.

"She'll be out for a few hours," Mr. Samuels told his wife as Hayden lay motionless on the ground, "That'll be enough time to get the kid."

Suddenly, Hayden began to stir, rubbing her head.

"Damn, stupid powers. Samantha tries tickling me awake this morning, and I feel nothing. Yet I get slammed over the head with something that really hurts, and nothing!"

The Samuels frowned, wondering how Hayden could recover so quickly, until they say the scar on her head disappear. Almost instantly, they knew what they were dealing with.

"A healer, eh?" Mr. Samuels grinned.

"Actually, spontane- wait a minute. You tried to kill me!"

"Whoops?" Mrs. Samuels smiled as she picked up a piece of wood, "Sorry, sweetheart. We thought you were someone else."

"Someone else? I've only been following you fo..."

Hayden was interrupted when Mrs. Samuels drove the stake into her stomach and pushed her against the wall. The Pink Ranger tried to fight back, but the older lady grabbed her hands, keeping the blonde from removing the wood in her stomach and preventing her from fighting back.

Mr. Samuels grabbed the dumpster, lifting it with incredible force before tearing it apart. He made himself two very sharp pieces and grinned.

Hayden looked at him, worried, as she tried to get away from Mrs. Samuels.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"The bartender's name is H-07," Mr. Samuels smirked, forcing the first metal piece into Hayden's wrist, pinning her to the wall, "He's working with us."

Hayden tried pulling her hand free but it was useless. Mrs. Samuels held her other wrist in place for her husband to drive the other piece in. Hayden's hands were pinned against the wall and try as she might, she couldn't get them loose.

"Son of a bitch!" Hayden screamed as the blood started to drip. She could feel the pain this time, but she couldn't let the couple know. She tried to hide the look on her face, but Mrs. Samuels poked the wood in her stomach. She whimpered slightly as they laughed.

"Try to stop us," they smirked.

"Parenting lesson number one," Hayden frowned as they walked away, "Don't shove rusted metal stakes into a child's wrists and leave her to a death that won't come!"

"Must have missed that class," Mr. Samuels said as he and his wife walked off, slamming the door shut behind them.

Hayden screamed in frustration before remembering she had her morpher with her still. She tried pulling her hands free, but the metal holding her wrists in place refused to move, and every time she tried, the metal rubbed against the bones, causing her great pain.

"Ow..." she frowned, "Fuckfaces. When I get out of here..."

Suddenly, Hayden got an idea. She smiled as she began to sway her hips. Her morpher, which she had placed in a holder on her pants, started rubbing against the wall behind her. Naturally, as it rubbed, the holder began to slip off her pants.

"C'mon," Hayden pressed just before the morpher fell out, landing right by her feet. She kicked her shoes off, making it easier to press the blue button. "Flynn, you there? I'm a bit stuck."

-----RPM-----

The Samuels made it back to the Garage just as Flynn got Hayden's message. He responded to her, telling her he was on his way. Hayden didn't have enough time to explain to him what was going on before the communication suddenly died.

This didn't bother the couple though as they strolled right on over to Dustin. They handed him the papers with large smiles on their faces.

"He's our kid," they said, "Hand him over."

Kaylee stepped into the room to hear this. She dropped her things and ran to Dustin and Christian's side.

"Okay, I know I promised, but..."

"We can have you arrested if you refuse to give us our child," Mrs. Samuels smirked.

"Says who?" Kaylee asked, "I'm Commander. It's my own..."

"Actually, twerp," Tori began from the couch. Even after the rebellion died down, she and her family decided to spend a few extra days with Mike and the Rangers, "You didn't officially adopt Christian at all. It's basically just common knowledge that he's your son."

Kaylee's eyes narrowed as she turned to her sister. Tori raised her hands defensively as she returned to watching TV, figuring it best to butt out.

"Alright, go to prison. See if I care."

"Ha, so there," Mrs. Samuels smiled, "He's not your son by law. He's still ours. Refusal to hand him over counts as kidnapping, right?"

Dustin looked to Kaylee with soft eyes as he hugged his son. Kaylee looked back, heartbroken. She knew Christian meant the world to him. He was daddy's little boy. But Mrs. Samuels did raise a point. Christian was still her son, and it would be wrong not to give him back.

"Dustin..."

"He's not a lost puppy," Dustin frowned, "He's a kid. He needs some kind of stability."

"He'll have stability," Mr. Samuels nodded, "Once you hand him over. We showed you the tests. He's ours. There's nothing you can do about it."

Kaylee sighed and turned to Dustin, "I'm sorry."

Dustin nodded sadly. He looked his son in the eyes. He set Christian on the ground, and both he and Kaylee knelt down in front of him. Kaylee took his small hands in hers while Dustin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, buddy," he started, "These people are you're real parents. I know it's hard to..."

"Daddy," Christian frowned, pointing to Dustin. He looked to Kaylee, "Mommy. I love you!"

Kaylee broke down into tears, grabbing her son in her arms and hiding her face in his shoulder.

When she pulled away, she held his arms tight, "Listen, you," she forced a smile for him, "I know you're confused. But these people will take care of you, okay? And it's not like you're leaving us completely."

"Yeah," Dustin nodded. He took a paper from the table nearby and scribbled down a bunch of numbers. "This is how you can talk to us. Remember I showed you how to use the phone."

Christian nodded.

"Good," Dustin smiled, "If you put these number in, you'll be able to talk to us. Anytime you want, okay, buddy?"

"Okay, daddy," Christian smiled, taking the paper and stuffing it in his pants. Dustin smiled, playfully and gently punching Christian's shoulder. The little boy laughed, punching his father back.

"That's my boy!" Dustin said, grabbing Christian and lifting him in the air, "You be good for your new parents, okay?"

"Okay, daddy," Christian nodded, "But I'm coming back. Promise!"

Dustin set his son down, letting Kaylee say goodbye to him while he talked with the Samuels. He took the results of the DNA test from them and checked them out. Everything seemed to be in order.

He shoved the papers back into their hands and growled, "I don't care who you are," he whispered, "If you ever hurt that boy, I will track you down and murder you with my bare hands. You better take good care of him."

Mrs. Samuels looked to her husband. He simply shoved Dustin out of the way and grabbed Christian's arm.

"Come on, son. Time to take you home."

It finally sunk in for Christian that he was being taken away from his family. He tried to kick and scream, but Mr. Samuels never let go.

Kaylee had to turn away. She knew it was going to be hard for the three year old to understand. She hid her face in Dustin's chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He put his head on top of her, trying to hold back the tears as he watched his son be taken away by his real parents.


	64. Ronny's Choice

Flynn stepped into the bar and looked around for his fiancée. She had told him over the communicator that she was out back, but he couldn't figure out where _out back_ was.

He approached the barman as he cleaned some glasses with a dishtowel by the counter.

"Excuse me," Flynn started, "Have you seen a lass around here?"

The barman nodded his head as his eyes pointed to all the women in the bar.

"Alright, well, blonde..."

The barman raised his eyebrow and once again motioned to the women.

"Wearing a pink..."

"Sir, you would really have to be more specific," the barman told him, "At the moment you're describing half the women who walk into the bar to go man-hunting."

"Oh, she's not man-hunting," Flynn assured the barman.

"Then no."

"About... this tall," Flynn tried finding Hayden's height to show the barman, but he shook his head. The Blue Ranger groaned loudly, "Come on, man! I'm the Blue Power Ranger, dating the Pink Blonde one! Who the hell do you think I'm looking for?"

"A female blonde wearing pink?" the barman replied sarcastically.

Flynn took a deep breath, "You know Kaylee Brooks?"

"Ah, yes, Commander of Corinth. You know, she has a daughter matching your description."

"Have you seen her?"

"Kaylee? No."

"No, her daughter!"

"Oh, you mean Hayden!"

"Yes, Hayden. Have you seen Hayden?"

"Nope."

"She told me she was here," Flynn breathed, sitting down on a barstool. He looked up at the man, "Are you sure?"

The barman quickly gazed over at the backdoor, where he had let Mr. and Mrs. Samuels take Hayden, before turning back to Flynn.

"I'm quite positive."

Suddenly, there was a loud knock coming from the backdoor. The barman and Flynn frowned, exchanging glances.

"Someone's at the door," Flynn said. The barman nodded and made his way over. He opened the door slightly and growled.

"Shut up out there or I'll take your other shoe!"

"It's already gone!" Flynn could hear from the other side of the door and he could tell it was Hayden's. He bounced out of his seat, pushing past the barman and finding Hayden pinned to the opposite wall. Hayden rolled her eyes as she spotted Flynn.

"Took you long enough."

The barman quickly slipped away while Flynn went to assist his fiancée.

"What the hell happened to you?" Flynn asked, first removing the stake from Hayden's stomach. She winced in pain, feeling the wood slowly coming out.

"Mr. and Mrs. Samuels are pure evil!" Hayden said.

"They did this?"

Flynn helped Hayden get the metal piece out of one hand and watched at the injury healed.

"Yeah," Hayden nodded, "And the barman was H-07!"

Flynn muttered something under his breath about the barman as his hand move to remove the second metal stake from Hayden's wrist. However, Hayden grabbed his hand, keeping him from helping her.

"Don't pull it out," she told him, "If you do I'll heal and we'll have no proof."

"Aside from your blood on these?" Flynn asked, pointing to the stakes.

"This is a lot more convincing than something that looks like ketchup exploded all over it," Hayden pointed out. She pulled the metal and her wrist away from the wall. Flynn saw her wince in pain and his face softened.

"Does it hurt?"

"Like a bitch," Hayden answered, "But we gotta go get Christian..."

"Too late," Flynn shook his head, "The Samuels came to get him as I was leaving. By now they would have him."

"Dammit!" Hayden screamed, hitting her head on the wall.

"But, maybe not!" Flynn smiled, "If they work for T15, they would be robots, right? The DNA test wouldn't be positive and Kaylee and Dustin wouldn't..."

"I saw the results," Hayden frowned, "For some reason, it was all positive."

"Then we've got to go to the doctor's!" Flynn said, "He should know what happened!"

Hayden smiled and nodded, "You do that," she said, "Find the doctor, figure out what the hell's going on. I'm going to see if I can get my brother back!"

Hayden was about to take off, but Flynn grabbed her arm.

"You can't go off on your own," he said, "We need your arm as proof, remember?"

Hayden nodded, "Pass me that metal piece."

Flynn frowned, but did as he was told; picking up the shard of metal that had been in Hayden's other wrist. He gave it to Hayden and gasped when she used it to cut her arm off. The young blonde placed her arm in Flynn's hand as another grew back.

Flynn stood with his eyes wide open, "Currently considering adoption..."

"Hey, you're the one who's going to propose," Hayden smirked, tapping the ring around her necklace, "Now, go find the doctor, and then go back to the base."

"What are you going to do?"

"Take down those sons of bitches and make them pay."

-----RPM-----

"... HEY! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way..." Giggles sang happily as she collected various items to fill her bucket to get the day's work done. Dani as well as every other women, was trying to block out the sounds of the happy prisoner.

"She's so loud," an in-mate groaned, slamming a coloured rock into her bucket, "Can I please shut her..."

"Get back to work!" the guard shouted, stopping all interaction before it evolved into something more. Daniela smiled slightly. She was happy Hicks had taken over the prison. Everything was working much better now, and she finally had time to think about the murder and how she was going to make it up to the shooter's family.

"...OH..."

Suddenly, a hand slammed down over Giggles' mouth, stopping the loud noise. Everyone looked over and saw Daniela was keeping her friend from singing. Slightly relieved, they all went back to work while Daniela tried to shut Giggles up.

"You've really got to stop that," she said, "People are getting annoyed. You don't want to annoy angry prisoners. Believe me."

"But it's almost Christmas. I always used to sing before Christmas. It made my kids so happy."

"Well, you murdered your son... I don't think singing is going to cheer up your family this year, Giggles."

"Oh, no, don't worry. He wasn't very liked. That's why I..."

Daniela covered Giggles' mouth again.

"I heard the story," she said, "Just... don't talk... or sing... hell, a lot of people would be happy if you stopped breathing."

Giggles took a deep breath and held it in. Dani shook her head.

"Breathe!"

"But you said..."

"Don't listen to what I say," Daniela frowned.

"OH..." Giggles opened her mouth wide as she began to sing. Daniela quickly threw her hands over Giggles' mouth.

"No... Just, no singing."

Giggles nodded and returned to work, without the singing. Daniela sighed in relief, picking up her bucket to continue the work. Suddenly, someone ripped the bucket out of her hand. Daniela looked up and saw Hicks.

Hicks inspected her bucket and smiled. He handed it to a man on his right who took the bucket away.

Giggles saw this happening and walked up behind her friend. She tapped Daniela on the shoulder.

"What's going on, Red?" she asked.

Daniela nodded, turning to Hicks, "Yeah, I wasn't done. Why did you take my bucket away?"

"Well," Hicks smiled, "Considering your injuries and the date, you shouldn't be forced to fill up the bucket."

"Excuse me?" Dani frowned, "I'm a prisoner. Just like everyone else. I want to be treated like..."

Hicks pulled out a small pocket book, "I am treating you like everyone else. It just so happens that you're the first in-mate to celebrate a birthday while in my prison."

-----RPM-----

After asking around town, Ronny and Lily finally found David at the Hartford Mansion. They stood on the doorstep, waiting for Mack to bring the doctor down.

Lily could tell Ronny was in no mood to talk, and she didn't need her empathetic powers to do so. The stock car drive was so tense, she was shaking slightly. Lily couldn't help but feel bad for her sister. Ronny had been going through so much. Daniela's sudden unexplained disappearance and reappearance, followed by a suicide attempt, a revolution, and finally, her daughter going to prison to get her ass handed to her. And no matter how much anyone told Ronny everything was slowly working out, Ronny refused to believe it. Lily couldn't blame her, of course. She had gone through so much. No mother should ever have to deal with that in a lifetime, never mind a few short weeks.

Through all that, Ronny had to stay strong for Daniela's sake. Unfortunately, there was only so much she could do before she snapped. Like everyone else in the world, if Ronny kept things bottles up, they were going to come back out with a vengeance. Sadly, her marriage was now being threatened by it.

Finally, David walked down the stairs, stepping outside with his wife and sister in-law. He closed the door behind him and looked at Ronny.

For a while, the three stood in silence. No one really knew what to say. Lily decided to break it.

"So, the weather's still pretty nice..."

"David, I want to talk," Ronny started. Lily chuckled, mentally praising herself as she stepped away to give the couple some room.

"If it's about kicking me out..."

"It's about before that," Ronny said, "And... well, that too. David, I was just so worried that... I kinda took it out on you. But with everything that's been going on..."

David grabbed Ronny's arms gently as he looked into her eyes, "I know you've been worried. I've been trying to tell you..."

_Don't say it, you idiot_, Lily thought as she listened to the conversation, wincing slightly, fearing her brother in-law was going to do something he would regret.

"...that Kaylee's got everything under con... trol? Ronny, are you okay?" David asked, seeing his wife tense up suddenly.

Lily hit her head with her palm, "Dammit."

"I told you not to say her name!" Ronny shouted; going from 0-60 as her anger at Kaylee took over. "This is all her fault! She's the one who came up with the plan to kill Hayden! She's the reason Hayden was mad and Dani was in the future trying to fix everything! She's the reason Dani felt responsible for saving this family! She's the reason Daniela felt like a failure and tried to kill herself. She's the reason for the revolution, and she's the reason Dani's in prison now!"

"Ronny, if you'll just listen..."

"Do you even care?" Ronny screamed, "She's your daughter! Kaylee's hurting her! You shouldn't be defending her! You should be ripping her apart!"

"I do care!" David answered, "Ronny, I love her. That's why..."

"Then show it a little more often," Ronny frowned, "Until then, it's done!"

Ronny stormed off on her own, leaving David as quickly as she could. Lily got up from her spot on the bench, tapping David's shoulder.

"It's too bad, too," she breathed, "I actually liked you."

"What did she mean by...?"

"If I answer that, I'm afraid I'll see you cry," Lily said, "I don't like you that much. Don't worry, though, I'm working on it."

-----RPM-----

Ronny couldn't deal with this anymore. It seemed as if no one understood what she was trying to say. None of her "sisters" were coming to talk to her and David was constantly opposing her. Lily was really the only one actually reaching out to her, but at the same time, Lily was the only one daring to knock some sense into her. Ronny felt as if she needed to go somewhere to ease her troubles.

She found herself in front of Corinth prison. Looking down at the phone in her hand and spotting the date, she figured it was the best place to be.

She was led inside by a guard, and was carefully inspected, before she was allowed to enter a closed off room. She sat on the chair that was bolted down to the ground and waited for the other door to open. When it did, Daniela ran inside, flying into her mother's arms.

"What are you doing here?" she asked excitedly.

"I've been having a rough day," Ronny smiled, "Wound up here."

"This is awesome!" Dani cheered, "I mean, I expected a phone call or something, but this is even better! Is Dad coming?"

Ronny shut her eyes, "Actually, Dani, it's just me."

"Why? Where is Dad?" Daniela frowned, taking her seat, "Is he at work."

"He's at your Aunt and Uncle's house," Ronny said, "He's not coming, as far as I know."

"Why is he there?" Dani asked, "Did something..."

Ronny placed her hand on her daughter's, "I don't want to talk about it, okay? Don't worry about it."

Daniela nodded, "I guess that's okay. As long as he's home when I get out. My cell-mate's wild! The only thing keeping me from insanity is coming home to you and dad."

Again, Ronny closed her eyes to keep the tears from spilling over. She couldn't help but wonder how children could be so beautiful, yet so painful. Dani was hitting the nail on the head with her remarks, and she didn't know it.

Little did Dani know, that chances were slim she would have a family to come home too.


	65. Here We Go Again

Flynn was almost flying up the stairs as he took them two, maybe three at a time, so he could reach the doctor's office quickly. Bolting into the waiting room, he ran to the counter.

"Is the doctor in?" he asked, flashing his Ranger badge, "It's an emergency."

"He's in," the secretary nodded, "But he's with a patient."

"He's been with that patient for hours now!" a woman cried as her son slept on her lap, "Call him out and tell him there are sick children waiting for check-ups."

Flynn ran behind the counter and made his way into the doctor's office. He opened the door slowly before hearing a muffled cry. As he looked around the door, he saw the doctor was tied to his chair.

"Wow," he breathed, untying the doctor, "What happened to you?"

The doctor was shaking as he got off his seat, massaging his wrists, "Two people can in..."

"Asking for a DNA test?" Flynn asked, "Samuels?"

"Yes," the doctor nodded, "I ran my tests, as usual, and saw something weird in their bodies. I offered to check it out, being my job and all, and they flipped out. They tied me to this chair, hacked into my computer and stole some information."

"So that's how they did it," Flynn grumbled. He patted the doctor on the shoulder, "I'll take care of them. You've got some patients to look after."

The blue Ranger left the doctor to finish his work as he pulled out his morpher, "Kaylee? Can you hear me?"

"_Flynn? Where the hell are you and Hayden?"_ Kaylee asked, _"Christian's left already. She didn't say goodbye."_

"About that, the Samuels were lying when they said they were Christian's parents," Flynn explained, "I found Hayden pinned outside the local bar. The Samuels did it. She went after them to stop them from leaving the city with Christian, and I'm at the doctor's office."

"_Why are you there?"_

"The Samuels faked the DNA tests," Flynn said, "They aren't even human."

-----RPM-----

Ronny sat in silence for a while, just watching her daughter. After Dani expressed her eagerness to return home to her family, Ronny found she couldn't say a thing. She didn't want to upset Dani on her birthday, but she was aware that Dani needed to know the truth.

"Dani..." she started before her communicator went off. Groaning, the former yellow Ranger got up to answer it.

"_Ronny, Christian's been kidnapped,"_ Kaylee said, _"I know you hate me and never want to see my face again, but we're going to need your help."_

"You hate Aunt Kaylee?" Dani asked, walking up to her mother, "What's going on out there?"

Ronny lowered her head, "I'm sorry, Dan," she whispered, "You'll find out in a week."

The mother turned around to hug her daughter, and before leaving, kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you, Nascar," she said, "I'll see you very soon."

-----RPM-----

Hayden made it to the perimeter, still without seeing a trace of her brother or the Samuels. She approached the guards, who opened the gates for her to be let out of the city.

"If my parents look for me," Hayden started, eyeing the guard, "Tell them I've left the dome. If I've been gone for more than five hours, without any communication to the dome, go find someone from project Ranger and tell them I need help."

The guard nodded.

Hayden looked outside the dome and took a deep breath. She had been outside before, but never had she willing gone outside on her own, with plans most likely leading her to the Venjix palace.

"RPM," she said, grabbing her morpher, "Get in gear."

-----RPM-----

Ronny walked into the Garage, with Lily on her tail, making no eye contact with Kaylee or the Rangers as she got to her post.

"I'm only here for Christian," she informed everyone, "I'm still mad."

"I don't care," Kaylee whispered, "If we don't find him soon, I might lose it."

"How's Dustin holding up?" Lily spoke.

Kaylee shook her head, "Don't ask."

"Ranger Pink's Suit's been activated," Dr. K called out as the Pink Ranger suit disappeared from the station. Kaylee frowned and looked to her sisters.

Tori brought her small communicator to her mouth, "Hayden, where are you?"

The only answer she received from her niece was static.

"We can't waste time with her," Ronny said. Mostly, she said it to get her revenge for Kaylee locking Daniela up in prison, but it was also true. They couldn't focus on Hayden when Christian was missing. "What the hell happened with Christian?"

"The Samuels," Samantha explained, "They came over, claiming to be Christian's parents. They had tests to prove it. We had to hand him over. Now Flynn's telling us they aren't even human."

"Meaning they have to..."

"... be T15 attack-bots," Gem and Gemma said.

"Very clever ones at that," Flynn announced as he finally arrived back at the garage, throwing Hayden's arm down. He pointed to the metal still sticking out of her wrist, "She figured them out."

"You can remove parts?" Dillon frowned, picking up the body part to examine it, "Why didn't you tell me three nights ago?"

Dillon received an _angry_ stare from Kira while Summer slapped him in the gut.

"Not the time, Dillon."

"When else am I supposed to crack jokes?" Dillon asked, "I'm the brooding one, remember? I'm not funny when everything's all fine and dandy."

"Just, shut up," Samantha growled, rubbing her temples, "My brother and sister are missing. We need to focus on them. Do you know how pathetic it's going to sound if _I'm_ the only living Brooks child?"

"Okay, well if the Samuels are T15 attack bots, then where would they take Christian?" Ziggy asked, looking around the room to see if anyone was following him.

"The palace," Ronny answered as a picture came up on the monitor, "They would take him to the palace. But we've got bigger problems."

"What the hell is bigger than...," Kaylee started, but her jaw dropped when the next picture came up on Ronny's computer, "That's a lot of numbers."

"Someone's getting into the systems," Dr. K shouted as she moved around in her station frantically to try and maintain control over her computers, "They're blocking us off."

"Off? Off what?" Ziggy asked as Gem, Gemma and Greg jumped in to try and help Dr. K and Ronny.

"The numbers you see are the base codes for the Venjix virus," Dr. K explained, "Thank goodness Dillon and Dawn are no longer infected with the implants."

"Why?" Dillon asked.

"Because someone's uploading them into the systems," Gemma explained.

"Cutting off our access to any files in Corinth city," Gem continued.

"And trying to infect any hybrids."

"But there aren't any, right?" Lily asked, "Corinth did that whole scan and enter thing during the evacuations."

Kaylee nodded, "We did, but with so many people coming in, I'm pretty sure we've missed a few."

"So, what's going to happen if those people are infected?" Dawn asked.

"Same thing that happened to you and me," Dillon answered her, "They'll fall under Venjix' control."

"Well, T15's," Scott corrected. He turned to Dr. K and the rest of the Soup Team, "Is there a way to figure out who is a hybrid?"

"Not until we can get access to our own systems," Dr. K said.

"So, we're screwed?" Summer asked.

"No, you're screwed," Flynn said, "We're helpless."

-----RPM-----

"I swear to god, as soon as I find those lying sons of bitches I'm going to rip their heads off!" Hayden yelled, turning in a circle to try and spot the Samuels or her brother, "Where the fuck could they be?"

From where she was standing, Hayden could see the Palace. There were a few hills, but if the Samuels were ahead of her, she would have been able to spot them a long time before. When Hayden looked back, she could see NewTech and Corinth. She knew they couldn't be there because she had traveled that distance. If they stopped to take a break, she would have caught up to them.

Suddenly, she heard a small scream, "MAYDEN!"

Hayden turned around but was quickly met with a blow to the head. She fell backwards into the dirt and looked up.

"Found you," she grumbled, grabbing her blaster. She levelled it with the Samuels head, glaring through her visor. "Give me back my brother, and I won't blow you to pieces."

Mrs. Samuels laughed. She walked up behind her husband with Christian in tow.

"Please. You wouldn't shoot," she said, "You know very well that if you do, you brother will be hit with the blast."

Hayden looked down and sighed. They were right. She couldn't shoot unless she wanted to hurt Christian.

"Drop the blaster," Mr. Samuels ordered. Hayden growled slightly, dropping her blaster, but not her stance. She kept her guard up.

Mr. Samuels picked up the gun and pointed it at Hayden, "Good job," he said, "Now, close your eyes, count to three, and this will all be over with."

Hayden shut her eyes. Though Christian could barely seen through the dark visor, he could tell just by the way Hayden's head ducked down slightly that she had shut her eyes.

"No, Mayden, don't do it! They'll kill you."

"One," Hayden breathed, clenching her fists, "two, three."

On call, Mr. Samuels shot. He, Mrs. Samuels and Christian were pushed back by the blast and covered their mouths as smoke filled the air.

"There," Mr. Samuels said, dropping the blasting and wiping his hands clean, "That wasn't so hard."

Suddenly, he was flying through the air as a demorphed Hayden jumped out of the smoke.

"I've already told you," she said, "Spontaneous regeneration."

She grabbed Mrs. Samuels arm and pulled her down, forcing the women to fall face down in the dirt. Hayden kicked her leg down on the woman's back, pinning her to the ground and immobilising her for a second.

Mrs. Samuels had to let go of Christian, and the three year old ran to his sister. Hayden caught him with one arm and pushed him behind her to keep him safe. Slowly, she positioned herself between Corinth and the Samuels.

"Christian, turn and run," she told her brother, "Run straight. Mommy and daddy are waiting for you back home."

"Come with me," Christian yelled, grabbing Hayden's hands, trying to pull her with him. Hayden shook him off, keeping an eye on the Samuels.

"I'll be right behind you," she told him, "Promise. Just start running."

Christian could only take her word for it as he took off. Once Hayden was sure the Samuels weren't getting up any time soon, she began to run with her brother, quickly making up ground. She was about to swoop him up in her arms to bring him back home when something got tangled up in her feet. She tripped and fell, face first, to the ground.

Christian turned back for a moment to see if his sister was following, but saw Mr. Samuels standing over her as she tried to untie a rope or string from her legs.

"Mayden!" he yelled. Hayden turned to him.

"RUN!" she screamed, tossing him her morpher, "Go home. Tell mommy and daddy I need help!"

Christian caught the morpher and looked down.

"Find the other Rangers!" Hayden yelled at him, "If you run away now, I'll let you sleep in my bed for a week!"

Christian smiled. He always wanted to sleep in a big kid bed.

"I'll be back!" he told her, "With help! No moving!"

Hayden looked down at her legs while Mr. Samuels tried to grab her. She kicked her legs around, knocking him down for a moment, "Won't be able to."

Hayden was distracted as she watched her little brother run away, she failed to notice Mrs. Samuels pick herself off the ground. The woman grabbed the pink Ranger's arms and lifted her up. Mr. Samuels got up as well and punched Hayden in the gut. The blonde doubled over in pain and the Samuels finished tying her up with rope they pulled from their stomachs.

"What about the brat?" Mrs. Samuels asked her husband as he slung Hayden over his shoulder.

"He'll never find his way home," Mr. Samuels said, "He's as good as dead. And T15 will like this human better."

-----RPM-----

"We can't just sit here," Dawn frowned as she paced the room, "We should go out there!"

"Communication is down," Ronny said, "It would be stupid."

"We have to try," Scott insisted.

"You're two Rangers down," Kira reminded the team.

"But Dawn..."

"Even with Dawn, you're still low on numbers," Kira said, "And anyways, Dawn doesn't have a suit. She's not a Ranger."

"So it's like being a Ranger and a half down," Dillon sighed.

"Hayden's the half," Ziggy pointed out, "Just because she can..."

Ronny looked to Kaylee, "You'll have to pull Daniela out of prison."

"I don't have that authority," Kaylee told her, "Hicks runs the prison. What he says goes."

"Then talk to Hicks!" Ronny shouted.

Kaylee shook her head, "I can't do that. Dani's still got six days left. If I pull her out early I'm not being fair to anyone! Not to the city, not to the prisoners, not to the shooter, and not to Dani."

Ronny growled at the smaller girl, "Get my daughter out."

Lily, Tori and Kira ran to their sisters, pulling them apart before something happened. Kelly and Leanne walked into the room at that moment, sensing tension.

"I can't!" Kaylee frowned.

"You won't."

"Ronny, you don't get it!"

"The team needs her!" Ronny said, "Hayden's gone, your son is missing..."

"Shut up, both of you," Kelly frowned, smacking each sister over the head, "We'll find a way around this."

"But..."

"CORNER!" Kelly shouted, pointing both Ronny and Kaylee to different corners.

"Can you tell who the oldest sister is?" Summer whispered to Dillon.

"I'm not old," Kelly grumbled, "I'm just more mature. Dr. K, think you can fix this?"

Kelly presented her old Mystic Force morpher to Dr. K, smiling slightly, "Someone can wear it."

"Dawn?" Kira asked, looking at the brunette, "You've fought with the Rangers before. Would you like to wear a suit?"

"One condition," Dawn smirked, "Do I get to pick my own colour?"


	66. Break Out

The Samuels were almost literally dragging a struggling Hayden into the main room of the palace before throwing her down on her knees. Mr. Samuels placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her down while Mrs. Samuels spoke with T15.

"We know it's not the little brat," she explained, coming back over to Hayden with T15 at her side, "But she was persistent. Honestly, I don't understand why you wanted the small human."

T15 smirked as she glanced down at Hayden, "You're the pink one, right? Spontaneous regeneration? You're the one I can't kill."

"Yeah, so?" Hayden asked, tugging on her restraints, "What the hell did you want with my brother?"

"He was a pawn," T15 sighed, turning her back to the Pink Ranger as she began work on the mainframe. "Just a tool to weaken you Rangers. He was so small and innocent."

"You bitch," Hayden snapped, almost jumping to her feet, was it not for Mr. Samuels pinning her down. T15 laughed, turning around as she held a gun in her hand.

"My plan didn't work the way I wanted it to," T15 smirked, playing with the gun casually, "But it's something I learned from Venjix. Always learn to go with the flow."

"Speaking of flow, if I say I have to go to the bathroom, will you let me go so I can run off?" Hayden tried. She knew it was useless, but she didn't want to show T15 any fear. By joking around, she felt she was lightening the mood slightly.

"Sure," T15 nodded, motioning for Mr. Samuels to let go of the girl and untie her, "Down the hall."

When the restraints were pulled off, Hayden rubbed her wrists, slowly turning to run. She looked over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure T15 wasn't going to try anything funny. Just as she reached the door leading to the hall, she began to run.

T15 ran after her, whistling the tune Tenaya used to sing as she hunted for her prey. Hayden turned a corner, pressing herself against the wall to stay out of sight.

"Boo," T15 smirked, tapping Hayden on the shoulder and pointing the gun at the Pink Ranger, "Say freeze."

Hayden tried to run away once again, but t15 shot the gun and suddenly the Pink Ranger was frozen on the spot. The Samuels approached their leader with a smirk.

"Should we smash her to pieces?" they asked. T15 shook her head.

"If you do that, she'll thaw much faster and she'll just heal again," they told them. She touched the frozen figure of the Pink Ranger as a wicked smile formed on her lips. "I've been working on this plan while you two and H-07 have been in town. Take her to the room marked deep freeze. That should hold her."

"Are you positive she's not just going to heal out of that ice cube?" Mrs. Samuels asked as her husband carefully picked up the frozen girl.

"What's to heal?" T15 asked, "She's got no cuts or bruises. She's just frozen. At best, she might still be conscious under that layer of ice."

"Doomed to watch as you take over the world?" H-07 grinned, arriving by T15's side. "I've jammed all the systems in Corinth. Just like you've asked. There's no way they can access anything now. All files, weapons and even the Ranger suits are gone."

"Perfect," T15 smirked, "I knew I could trust the three of you to get some kind of job done. I just didn't think it would work out like it has."

"Now who do we go after?" Mr. Samuels asked. T15 smiled brightly as she thought of the next target.

"Which Ranger would be the most likely to come after Pink?" she asked.

-----RPM-----

Flynn tried to stifle his laughter as Dawn looked down at the Ranger suit she currently wore.

"Not only is it Pink," Dawn groaned, "but it's got a butterfly and a cape! Who the hell designed these?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Kelly laughed, "Just be thankful you're not a red head. I was teased endlessly about it."

It was Kira's turn to try and keep from laughing as she remembered her days as a Mystic Ranger, "Red headed Pink Rangers should be outlawed. Too funny to focus on bad guys."

"Well, we are missing a Pink Ranger," Leanne shrugged.

"And a silver!" Ronny called from her chair, that had been placed in a corner, where the two "twin sisters" have been put in a time out. Leanne turned her head to Ronny and growled.

"Three more minutes!"

"Oh, come on!" Ronny groaned, slamming her head against the wall, "I've been here for twenty already! Time outs don't work with me."

Leanne turned to Lily. The cheetah shook her head sadly.

"They turn her into some kind of demonic hulk," she said, "Jason once put her in a time out for cutting my Barbie's hair. When she came back, she ate her head. I'm still waiting for her to poop it out. Jason promised!"

"Well, it's going to work today. Maybe Jason just wasn't a good enough big brother."

"Oh, he was plenty good," Lily nodded, "That's why my parents always left him in charge."

"Wouldn't it be because he's the oldest?" Tori asked.

"Yeah, but believe me, Jason was more of a parent than my own parents were. His time outs were effective. Somehow, he got Heather to eat her vegetables, for dessert, and demand for seconds after she stayed at his place for the weekend."

"Is my time out done yet?" Kaylee whined, "I need to find my kids."

Tori dropped her head in her hands and sighed, "Things you never thought you would hear, example number 4052 from Kaylee: I want to leave time out to search for my instant-healing daughter and my unofficially adopted son."

"Please!" Kaylee begged, "I'll be good. I don't even know what I did to deserve time out. Ronny was the one blaming me for sending her kid to jail."

Again, Tori sighed, "Another time Kaylee says something that's usually taken figuratively, but is actually a fact in this messed up world."

"You really must have dropped her hard," Rebecca chuckled.

"I didn't even want a sister!" Tori grumbled, "I wanted a puppy. I remember. It had to be a boy puppy, and I was going to name him Spot. But as soon as my parents brought a doll I couldn't play with back from the hospital, all my dreams for a puppy disappeared. If they got me a dog, I wouldn't be in this mess."

"Weren't you only nine months..."

"I was smart for my age," Tori beamed, "Not like you, Dr. K, but I was a very smart cookie... without a puppy to play with... Rest in Peace, Spot."

Dr. K rolled her eyes, "On that note, I've got some news. Without our systems running, there's no way we can know if T15 is in the city or not."

"Or if Hayden and Christian are okay," Kira added, "How long has it been since Hayden left?"

Flynn looked up at the clock, "About three hours now."

"I'm getting really worried," Kaylee said, getting out of her time out chair to look at the empty computer screens, "Hayden would be back by now."

There was a knock at the door that made everyone hold their breath. Being the only one brave enough to find out what awaited everyone on the other side, Gem opened the large door.

"Christian!" he smiled, hugging the little boy tightly, relieved to see his little buddy was okay.

Kaylee's eyes widened, "DUSTIN! He's home!" she screamed as she ran over to her son, scooping him up in her arms.

Dustin ran out from his room and stopped at the railing. He looked down and found his wife and son. Christian really was home, safe and sound.

"Buddy!" he grinned, stealing the little boy from his mother and squeezing him, "How did you make it back, squirt?"

"Mayden helped me," Christian explained, pulling her morpher out of his pants, "She needs help."

"What happened?" Kaylee asked as she and Dustin exchanged worried looks.

"Fake mommy and daddy are mean!" Christian huffed, "They tried hurting her! They shot her!"

"Shot her?" Flynn asked, suddenly very interested, "With what?"

"I don't know," Christian shrugged, "But then Mayden saved me and told me to run to big kid bed. So I did."

"Well, now we know what's going on," Summer frowned. "What do we..."

Before the yellow Ranger could finish, Flynn had grabbed his jacket and morpher and left the building.

"Do..." Summer finished. "Where does he think he's going?"

-----RPM-----

Daniela, Tiny and Giggles were walking around the jail, enjoying their last day outside before the weather really dropped.

Daniela ran her hand along the metal fencing, looking out at the free world. This day in prison was almost over, and she really only had five more to go.

"Why didn't you tell us today was your birthday?" Tiny asked, "I could have poked a hole in your jell-o and made it seem like I tried lighting a candle, but it got taken away."

"And I could have sung happy-birthday at work!" Giggles said, poking Dani in the ribs, but the Silver Ranger was too distracted to speak with her friends. After her mom's strange visit, Dani had a terrible feeling. She could imagine things were tough back at the Ranger base. But she had no idea how anyone was coping.

"Red!" Tiny called, waving his hand in front of her face. Dani snapped back to reality, shaking her head slightly as she looked up. "Wow, that took you close to four minutes to respond."

"Is it because I didn't get you a present?" Giggles asked, "I promise, as soon as I bust out of this place, I'll get you something nice. Do you like brains?"

Dani frowned, shivering slightly before looking to Tiny, "I saw my mom today. But she told me my dad wasn't coming."

"So?" Tiny frowned, "You don't see either one of my parents walking in here. Not after what I did."

Daniela wanted to ask Tiny what he had done to wind up in prison, but knew better than to do so. He refused to talk about his past, saying it was all set in stone, and talking about it wouldn't change what happened.

"It's just... my mom was so down. Everything she said kinda sounded like the world was ending."

"Maybe it is," Giggles smirked, "Maybe the Rangers finally failed."

Daniela looked at Giggles and sighed, "Well, I'm still alive, so not all Rangers are dead."

"Or so you think," Giggles grinned.

"Hey, look," Tiny said, pointing to the fence, where the trio could see Hicks getting out of his car on the other side as he got back from a dinner break, "Maybe he brought back cake for you, Red."

Daniela walked to the fence, grabbing it with her hands and looking at Hicks. He looked back at her and began walking forward.

Daniela watched him carefully. Something didn't feel right. She eyed him, up and down as he moved in closer and closer.

Finally, she saw it. There was something about his eyes.

"Hey, do you guys notice anything weird about Hicks?" Daniela asked, "Like, he's not himself or something."

Giggles nodded furiously, "He's in charge! That's not how I know him."

Tiny nodded as well, coming up with a better answer for Dani, "His eyes seem a little... off."

"Red?" Dani asked, "Do they look red? And glowy? Or have I just been in this hell hole for too long?"

"I see it too," Tiny nodded.

"I saw my son," Giggles pointed out, "He says hi."

Hicks approached the fence and looked into the prison grounds for a few moments. His eyes were glowing a fierce red by now. Daniela gasped.

"VENJIX!" she screamed, causing Tiny's hand to fly over her mouth. Daniela pulled away from Tiny, grabbing him and Giggles and pulling them into the shadows, "Last time I saw eyes like that, I almost died. It's Venjix technology!"

"You're saying that human being is a robot?" Tiny frowned.

"Wouldn't be the first time it's happened," Dani nodded, "My cousin's dating a former hybrid, and my cousin's cousin was a hybrid before she turned into body parts, then back into a human."

"What?" Tiny and Giggles both asked.

"Never mind," Dani said, "I'm almost positive Hicks is being controlled by Venjix, or T15!"

"Almost?" Giggles asked, "How many humans walk around the city with shinning red eyes?"

"I'm positive!" Dani corrected herself, realising that Giggles had a good point. "And if Hicks is a robot, or hybrid, or whatever, how many other people are infect as well? We've gotta get out of here!"

"Good luck with that," Tiny frowned, "There is no way out."

Daniela smirked, "Where there's a will, Dani's got a way."

The Red head approached the fence and looked up. It was definitely too high to climb, but that wasn't going to stop the daring Silver Ranger.

"I can move really fast," Dani said while tapping the fence with her finger, "When I was a kid, my aunt Rose used to tell me that one day, if I really tried, I could move so fast, I could run through stuff. I never believed her."

"So what?" Giggles asked, touching the fence as well, "You're going to teleport?"

Daniela shook her head before she was replaced by a silver beam that went through the fence and stopped on the other side.

"Nope," she grinned, "Just run so fast the molecules from the fence pass through my cells."

"That's great and all," Tiny said, "But you've got a lot less cells than some of us."

Dani stuck her hand through the fence, grabbing Giggles and pulling her through.

"I don't think you can make all of me go very fast," Tiny frowned.

Dani stuck her hand through the fence again and looked up at Tiny.

"You're not that big," she smiled, "C'mon. I can't do this without you."

"Don't worry, Red," Giggles smirked, "You'll have me!"

Dani's soft look dropped into one of horror, "Seriously, Tiny. I can't do this without someone between me and her."

Tiny laughed, taking his little friend's hand. Daniela focused hard to get both her body and Tiny's body to vibrate at the right speed. Slowly, she pulled him through the fence.

She opened her eyes and smiled when she saw nothing standing between her and Tiny. The fence was on the other side.

"We're free!" Giggles shouted, "I knew this day would come!"

"She's only been here two days," Tiny frowned, "She's got a life sentence."

Daniela pat Tiny on the shoulder, "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure you'll learn to avoid her."

"So, where are we going, Red?" Giggles asked.

"The Garage," Dani answered, "If anyone's going to know what to do, it'll be my team."


	67. Divide to Conquer

Daniela, Tiny and Giggles were ducking behind a car as they made it onto Ranger grounds. The garage was in sight, they just needed to cross the street without any civilians seeing them. They were still dressed in their prison uniforms, and if someone found out they broke out before they reached the Ranger base, it might mess up everything.

"Wait for it..." Daniela whispered, poking her head around the car to make sure the coast was clear, "On my signal..."

"GO!" Giggles called, bouncing across the street and knocking on the door. Daniela breathed deeply as her head fell. She turned her look to Tiny, who chuckled.

"Coast is clear," he said before following in Giggles footsteps (minus the hopping).

"Giggles, you can't just run across the street like that," Dani called as she crossed the street, "What if someone saw you."

"No one did," Giggles smirked, "I took a risk."

"No shit," Dani groaned, "Just... leave the risk taking to me. You keep watch. Until someone answers this door we're not out of the woods yet."

Daniela knocked again, figuring the Rangers weren't about to answer the door after one knock, especially if things were as bad as Dani thought they were. She looked over to Tiny as she waited.

Finally the door was opened.

"Dani!" Gem cried, throwing his arms around the younger girl as he picked her up in a hug.

"Gem... I can't breathe..."

Gem put the red head down and pulled her into the garage, almost showing her off as all eyes turned to her.

"Look who's at the door!" he announced.

No one moved. They were all too shocked. Daniela was supposed to be locked up in prison. There was no way she could get out, nor would she be the kind of person to break out.

Tiny and Giggles walked into the base as well, putting the Ranger team in a deeper state of shock. Ziggy was the first to speak.

"What the hell?"

Ronny hugged her daughter, very happy she was out of prison, but she was still asking the same question as everybody else.

"Dani, you still have a few days."

"I know," Daniela nodded, "But after you visited me today, then just ran off, I figured something was wrong."

"You can't be here," Kaylee frowned. She looked to the two other prisoners with Dani, "None of you can be here."

"I'm sorry, Aunt Kaylee, but if something's wrong, you guys need me."

"Well, we are still down two Rangers," Leanne nodded, "Now that Flynn's run off and Dani's back."

"Thanks for reminding me," Kaylee groaned.

Giggles gasped, one hand flying over her mouth while the other pointed to Kaylee.

"I know you!" she cried happily, "Oh, oh, I so know who you are!"

Kaylee paused, slowing turning to the eccentric jailbird, "Oh... okay..."

"You're Kaylee Hanson! Oh my God! Can I see how you're brain works! I've been a fan since the good old days!"

"No!" Dani and Tiny both shouted while each grabbing one of Giggles arms as she tried jumping on Kaylee.

"Oh, but I want to see what goes on inside the head of a super-star."

Tiny pulled Giggles away and seemed to scold her while Daniela positioned herself between her two friends and her family, as if blocking her family from witnessing Giggles getting in trouble.

Tori rolled her eyes, looking around the room carefully, "Not weird at all."

"But Dani's right," Kelly stated, returning back to the conversation from before, "We are going to need her help. At the moment, we only have seven Rangers, and that includes Dawn."

"I'll make eight," Dani nodded, extending her hand to Kaylee, "But I need my morpher."

Kaylee pulled out the silver morpher from her pockets and placed it in Dani's hand.

"Eight," she nodded, "We're still short one Ranger."

"I can go," Samantha volunteered, giving Engel to her mother. Mike pointed to their daughter.

"But what about her?" he asked, "What if something happens to both of us?"

"Those two assholes kidnapped my sister," Samantha growled, "I'm not sitting by while you all run around in whatever kind of revealing tight fabric your call Ranger suits."

"You'll need to wear one as well," Dr. K pointed out, "Radiation levels are still high in the wastes. I'm amazed you Rangers have come this far without being poisoned."

"We don't have a suit for Sam," Kaylee frowned, "I don't want to give mine in case something happens to the kids."

Tori, Kira and Ronny nodded. They wanted to help out their niece, but they wanted to be prepared for the worst. If something happened to Mike, Summer or Dani, they wanted to be able to jump in and help out. Keeping their suits was the only way that was going to happen.

Lily nodded as well. Though her daughter was back home in NewTech, many of the kids on this team were a part of her family. She wanted to protect them.

"Kayl, don't you have a billion suits?" Dustin frowned, raising an eyebrow as he looked at his wife, "You know, from retirement."

"A... oh..." Kaylee nodded, "I do."

"I've got your RPM mentor suit on standby," Dr. K said, "If you need to, I can convert one of your old morphers to work for Samantha."

Kaylee went into her office to pull out the box of morphers she sealed up many years ago.

"What the hell?" Dawn grumbled, "Why does she get to choose?"

"My only option is green anyways," Samantha shrugged, "Want to trade?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible," Dr. K said, "I've already switched Kelly's suit to match Dawn. It would be much easier to turn one of your mother's suit's into yours."

"You're a fox, right?" Lily asked her niece. "The Jungle Fury suit might work best with you. It doesn't bond to DNA, but if Dr. K can switch the animal spirit it works with..."

"Or," Samantha smirked as she turned her smile to Engel, "She's got a leopard spirit..."

"NO!" Mike shouted, "We're not sending a baby against T15."

Samantha frowned, "What? Oh, no... wait until I'm finished before accusing me of wanting to send my baby to the grave. Look, before my mom became my daughter..."

"Oh god," Tori sighed, "I knew Kaylee reproducing was a bad idea."

Samantha glared at her aunt, "I said, before my mom became my daughter, she used to train me all the time. Now, I may be a fox, but I've got other animals. I mean, you can't learn from a Leopard Master without picking up on a few tricks."

"So, do you think my leopard will be able to work with you?" Kaylee asked.

"Might as well give it a shot," Samantha nodded.

"In any case," Dr. K started, giving Samantha the Solar Morpher, "These pull out your inner animal spirit. If you don't become a leopard Ranger, you may convert the morpher to fox on your own."

"So no technical changes need to be made?" Lily asked.

"As far as I can tell, no. Whoever came up with the idea for this morpher was genius. Unfortunately they look ridiculous. I can think of so many better designs than large, unappealing and impractical!"

"I'll talk to him," Kelly sighed, "Someday he'll realise it."

Samantha took the morpher, placing it on her face.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!"

When the lights cleared, Samantha stood in the middle of the room in her ranger uniform. It was a darker shade of red than Scott's and had two little ears sticking out at the top. Kaylee's leopard spots were now gone, the whole suit one solid colour.

"See, much better than pink," Dawn whined.

"I'm a fox!" Samantha cheered, pulling off her helmet to check out the design.

"That makes nine," Ronny stated, "We should send them out. It's been almost an hour since Flynn ran off."

Kaylee nodded. The Rangers stood in a line to face her. Without any kind of communication, once they left the Ranger base, they would be on their own.

"Okay, all I want you nine to do is go out into the wastes and find Hayden and/or Flynn. If they're together, perfect, if not, bring back one at a time. Once you come back with the two of them, we'll talk."

"What if we don't come back?" Scott asked, "We should figure that out just in case it happens."

"If you can't find anyone out in the wastes, then be back before sunrise tomorrow," Dustin said, "If you're not here when we all wake up, we'll send the former Rangers out."

Scott nodded, "That'll have to do for now. C'mon team, we can't waste time."

The Rangers ran off, but Dani stayed behind for a moment. She looked at her family.

"There's something else you'll need to worry about while we're gone," she said. "The reason Tiny, Giggles and I broke out, it's because we say Corporal Hicks. He's a hybrid."

"Dani, hurry up!" Greg called from the passenger seat of the car he shared with the red head. Daniela nodded, slowly moving in his direction as she looked at her aunt, "If I'm right about Hicks, then I'm sure there's a whole mess of people who are hybrids as well."

-----RPM-----

Flynn's trip through the wastes had been long. He had never gone to find the palace on his own before and therefore didn't know the way as well as Hayden did. But he did manage to make it.

He slipped past the Grinders and moved swiftly down a hall, stopping suddenly when he realised that the next door was open and T15, the Samuels and H-07 were inside.

Pressing his back against the wall, Flynn took a deep breath, "Okay, just go. One foot in front of the other."

Flynn peeked around the corner once more, just to make sure none of the robots were looking at him before dashing over to the other side. He stumbled over his own feet once he cleared the doorway, tumbling to the ground. Thankfully, he didn't make much noise.

Quietly, he got to his feet and continued searching the halls. He needed to find out where they would hold Hayden.

Feeling a chill, he decided to zip up his jacket. He had no idea the palace had temperature controls. Robots weren't supposed to have a sense of touch. Therefore temperature would have no effect on them.

As he walked past another door, Flynn felt the hairs on his arms stick up as goose bumps invaded his skin. This one spot in the entire palace was freezing cold. Curiosity got the better of him, and he stuck his hand on the cold metal door. He had to pull it off quickly to keep his hand from sticking.

"What the hell?" he frowned. He saw a control panel on the side and frowned, "Don't the doors just open?"

Deciding he had nothing to lose, he tried punching in a code. To his surprise the door opened up. Inside the room, everything was frozen solid and covered in ice; in the middle stood Hayden.

"Hayden!" he shouted, running to her side and touching her arms. Hayden didn't respond at all. One look in her eyes and Flynn could see why.

"How cute," T15 smirked from the doorway, "I knew you would be first to come looking for Pinky."

Flynn growled, putting himself in front of his fiancée, "What the hell did you do to her?"

"Well, because I couldn't kill her, I did the next best thing," T15 said, her fingers moving to the keypad by the door, "She's forever frozen."

Flynn screamed, charging towards the door as it began to close slowly. Just as he reached it, the door was shut completely. He had no way out.

"Dammit!" he yelled, pounding his fists on the door, "T15, let me out!"

Inside Hayden's mind, she watched Flynn hit the door furiously, trying to break free. But she already knew it was hopeless. Sadly, she couldn't tell him. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak; she was so frozen, it was hard to think straight.

Finally, the blue Ranger gave up, sinking to the ground. He looked up at Hayden before beating his head against the door. He began to shiver. Sooner or later the cold would get him. Unless someone came to save him, there was nothing he could do.

-----RPM-----

The Rangers stepped out of the car as soon as the tracks stopped. Whether the tracks belonged to Hayden, Flynn or the Samuels, they didn't know. All that mattered to them was that the tracks led them to the palace.

"Of course," Scott groaned, "They just end."

"I still know my way," Dawn said, "I could lead you guys."

"Maybe that's not smart," Ziggy said, "I mean if Flynn and Hayden are both in the palace T15's probably expecting all of us to come after them."

"What are you suggesting, Ziguardo?" Dillon asked. "We go in one at a time and try to take on all four robots currently living inside?"

Dillon's eyes suddenly widened, knowing he had given Summer and idea. The yellow Ranger was protective to a fault when it came to Hayden. Had it not been for the fact that Flynn ran off first, she would probably have been long gone.

"I'll go first," Summer said. Dillon grabbed her arm.

"No you're not."

"Guys, it's not even an official plan!" Scott called, "Ziggy, a lot could go wrong if we go in there one at a time."

"But a lot could go right! If T15's expecting all of us to come in, that's what she'll be looking for. A bunch of ranger signals in the wastes. She wouldn't be looking for just one."

"If we power down, then there will be no signal," Dawn suggested, "Venjix didn't bother tracking humans. He figured if anyone showed up, he would destroy them on the spot."

"Great," Samantha frowned, "There goes Flynn."

"Well, we've gotta do something," Greg said, "We can't just sit here and argue about what T15's expecting."

"What if we go in one at a time?" Mike suggested, "Like, intervals of twenty minutes each. That way we're not alone, but we're divided enough to throw T15 off."

"That could actually work," Scott nodded, "But make it ten minutes. I'm not risking anyone on the team because we decided splitting up was the best thing to do."

"But it might be," Dawn nodded, "The palace is a complicated place, with many hallways. We'll find each Hayden and Flynn much faster if we split up."

"Keep your morphers with you, just in case," Scott ordered, "We'll be able to stay in contact at least."

"The morphers don't work," Greg reminded his leader, "Only Dawn and Samantha can morph. They aren't connected to Corinth."

"So, these were useless anyways?"

"Until Dr. K and the twins can get back into Corinth files, yes."

"If they don't work, they aren't activated and Venjix can't pick up on them," Dani smirked, "We should hold onto them. If Dr. K gets them up and running while we're in the palace, we'll be all set to kick ass if needed."

"Good idea," Summer nodded, "I'll go first."

Again, Dillon grabbed her arm.

"Over my dead body. I'll go first," he turned to Summer, "You stay with them."

Summer nodded reluctantly. Dawn pointed Dillon in the right direction, and he took off.

"Anyone have a watch?" Mike asked. Summer lifted her sleeve, flashing the time to her cousin.

"In ten minutes, I'm going in," she announced. Mike shook his head.

"No you're..."

"I'm going in," Summer repeated strongly, "Whether you like it or not."

Mike nodded. He had to understand Summer was worried. Her cousin, whom she saw as more of a sister was in that palace, and her boyfriend just ran in to rescue Hayden and Flynn. Though he didn't like the idea of letting Summer walk into the palace of danger before him, there would be no stopping her.


	68. Communication Errors

"Hybrids are loose in the city?" Kira asked, "How do you manage that?"

Kaylee ran her hand through her hair. This had been a very trying time for her. The drama and hardship didn't seem to stop.

"It must have been during the evacuations," Kaylee whispered, "We didn't care who was coming in, as long as they looked human. Our goal was to get as many survivors into the city. Last thing we needed was to hold people up at the border to run a full scan on them."

"So, civilian hybrids make sense, but in the military? How did Hicks get through testing for the past four years?"

Kaylee shrugged, "I don't know. Initially it there were no health tests. If you wanted to fight against Venjix, join up. Only the most trusted people got their hands on important information. Then, about a year after we closed the dome up for good, we started the health tests."

"The only logical explanation I can think of would be that the military doctor is a hybrid," Ronny said, "Any human doctor who saw the implants in someone would have rat them out immediately."

"Maybe not," Dr. K frowned, "The military didn't reach its peak in strength until very recently. Hybrids would have been a big problem, and they could easily overpower a single human."

"What are you saying?" Lily asked.

"Imagine if you discovered someone was a hybrid. You're the only one to know. Suddenly the military's out looking for the hybrid. Who is the hybrid going to assume leaked his secret? He'll find you and possibly kill you for putting him through this hell."

Lily backed away, "I wanna go back to NewTech now."

"Well, doesn't the technology spread?" Dustin asked, "At first, maybe it was too small to detect. Maybe Hicks has no idea he's a hybrid."

"But that still wouldn't explain how they've all flown under the radar," Kaylee said, "What if the entire city is actually a hybrid."

"That leaves us standing alone," Dr. K stated, "Once they all reach 60%, they'll lose control completely to T15. It'll be just us."

"If we survive," Leanne said, "I don't mean to be a bummer, but if all of Corinth goes down, what are the chances that we make it out?"

Kaylee looked to Kira, "Are you sure Newtech is clean?" she asked.

Kira shrugged, "Now that I think about it, it's pretty possible we have some hybrids. Our city was a little freer than Corinth, and if you have hybrids..."

"We're going to have to make a call," Leanne said. "Kira, we've got to tell the SPD team to get back into action. They'll need to find the hybrids before they're all activated."

"Try doing it without communication lines," Kira frowned, "Everywhere is dead."

"We're working on it," Gemma smirked.

Kira looked to Leanne, "Do you think Conner will be able to run the Ranger team for a little while?"

"You're not going back?" Tori asked.

"I can't," Kira sighed, "If RPM is the team currently keeping T15 from taking over the world, I feel I need to be here to help. Only reason I'm not bringing my Rangers over is because someone needs to protect NewTech."

"If we can contact SPD, I'll ask Cam to help Conner," Leanne said, "One head is better than none."

"Conner joke," Kira giggled, "Endless supply of laughter."

"Once Dr. K and the twins fix the systems I'll get Kira and Leanne a line to NewTech and I'll see if I can set up communication between us and the Rangers," Ronny said.

"What do we do with all the hybrids though?" Kelly asked, "We can't figure out who they are without our technology, but we can't wait until it's up and running. If Hicks is already lost to T15, how many others are helpless?"

"No one's helpless," Kaylee frowned, "We'll save them all. We did Dillon and Dawn. Somehow, everything will work out."

Everyone smiled at her confidence as Kaylee leaned over Dr. K to help her with her work. But Kaylee wasn't feeling as confident as she sounded. Inside, she was worried.

"It's okay, mommy," Christian smiled, hugging his mother's legs, "We always win."

Kaylee picked him up, holding him in her arms.

"I hope we don't break that streak," she whispered.

-----RPM-----

Dillon was thrown into the cold room by T15 and the door was shut quickly. He pounded his fists against it, trying to break the door down until he heard a voice stutter.

"It's no use."

He turned around and saw Flynn huddled up in a corner.

"The door won't budge," Flynn continued, "We're trapped."

"Trapped?" Dillon frowned, rolling his eyes, "Great."

"Where are the others?" Flynn asked.

"In the wastes," Dillon answered, "We're coming one by one. The next person should be on their way by now."

"You're coming one by one? Why?"

"We thought we would fool T15," Dillon sighed, "Apparently she's expecting this."

"I don't know what she's expecting," Flynn said, "She seems to be plotting as she goes."

There was a small silence between the two men before Dillon spoke.

"Where's Hayden?" he asked, "Did you find her?"

Flynn nodded his head and Dillon turned, finding Hayden on the other side of the room. Flynn had moved her away from the air vent to keep the cold air from blowing down on her and was wishing it would defrost her. However, it was doing nothing.

Dillon smirked, stepping over to the Hayden.

"You wanted a hug, Princess," he said before wrapping his arms around Hayden. Flynn watched with a curious look before he remembered Dillon's new found ability from the radiation in the wastes. Fire.

However, it wasn't working. Hayden didn't seem to be defrosting. Dillon pulled away sadly.

"Why didn't it work?" he asked.

"It's freezing in here," Flynn said, "Whatever ice you're melting is probably freezing almost right away."

Dillon frowned. Flynn continued to explain.

"When you melt ice, it turns to water. "Probably because your warmth is so spread out, there's less heat. The water's still cold when it liquefies, and freezes almost as soon as it leaves you."

"How long do you think we have in here, then?" Dillon asked. Flynn shrugged.

"I don't know. Probably longer if you were to make a fire though."

"There's nothing to burn," Dillon said. Suddenly he had an idea as he turned to Hayden.

"What?" Flynn asked. Dillon looked back at him with a smirk.

"She can heal from anything, right?" he asked.

"Yeah... why?"

Dillon pulled off his jacket, causing Flynn to give in a strange look. He draped the coat over Hayden's shoulders and extended his hand.

"Jacket please," he smirked.

Flynn reluctantly handed his jacket over to Dillon, rubbing his arms to keep warm. Dillon lifted Hayden up, carrying her closer to Flynn before setting the jackets on fire.

"Hopefully Hayden will start to thaw," Dillon smirked, "In the meantime, we have heat until the next person gets here."

Flynn could see some water dripping off of Hayden and smiled a bit, but knew it was going to take much more that Dillon's simple fire to thaw her out. But he wasn't going to saw anything. Right now, burning the jackets provided some heat.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream from the other side of the door. Both boys covered their ears, waiting for it to pass.

"Summer," Dillon shouted to Flynn, "She must have been the next to come."

"You think?" Flynn retorted sarcastically.

Suddenly, the door opened up. Dillon and Flynn both got up; Dillon to catch Summer as she was thrown into the room, and Flynn to see if he could keep the door open.

Flynn caught the door, but T15 shoved him back and the door shut.

Dillon put Summer down and glared.

"I told you to stay with the others," he said.

Summer tried to speak but found she couldn't. She realised T15 had made her use her screaming powers to make her lose her voice. It was a smart plan, because now she couldn't open her mouth without her throat burning. Screaming would definitely be out of the question.

"Great," Dillon sighed.

"Look, this isn't all bad," Flynn said, "If we all huddle up, we can warm each other up by the fire."

Summer frowned, looking around for a fire before noticing Hayden was the one being burned. The jackets had disappeared by now and the flames were slowly beginning to die as the water put them out.

"Fuck!" Dillon frowned, running over to Hayden to see if he could reignite the fire. With flaming hands, he touched her arm.

The ice under his hand melted, burning through Hayden's skin. Dillon pulled away. That section of her arm remained exposed, and the injury wasn't healing as quickly as it should.

"Guys, come over here," he called. Summer and Flynn stepped over. Summer wrapped herself in his arms to keep warm, while Flynn stayed close. He was cold, but he wasn't cold enough to snuggle with another man just yet.

"She's frozen," Summer said; her voice raspy and cracking, "It'll take some time before the cells can regenerate."

"Try it again," Flynn suggested, "Melt her section by section."

"I would rather not," Dillon frowned, "After a while, I'm going to have to get personal with... her... Believe me, I don't wanna go there."

Flynn punched Dillon in the arm, pushing the other boy away a couple of steps.

"Not like that," he shouted, "Just, concentrate the heat on a smaller surface. It'll be much hotter."

Summer rolled her eyes, "He means burn the living shit out of her a few more times."

"Well, when you put it that way," Dillon smirked, touching Hayden's arm again with a flame. Almost instantly the layer of ice covering her body began to melt under his hand. Dillon smirked, slowly moving his hand upwards. After a little while, her arm was thawed.

"Is that what you mean?" he asked the Scot. Flynn nodded.

"Keep going."

Dillon did the same thing with the other hand. When he was done, he looked at Flynn.

"Now where do I go?" he asked, "Up her legs, or down her body?"

Flynn groaned, "This may be easier for me if I look away, won't it?"

Summer nodded, grabbing Flynn's arm and they both turned in the other direction. As much as they knew it was necessary, it was disturbing to see Dillon run his hands along Hayden's body.

After a few minutes, both Yellow and Blue could hear teeth clattering. They turned around and saw Hayden standing there completely unthawed. Had she not been so cold, she would have been red with embarrassment.

Dillon nodded in her direction before awkwardly pulling away into his own little corner.

"D-Dill-llon... when I s-s-said you would one day... w-warm u-up to me... I did-didn't mean like t-t-this," Hayden stammered while Flynn wrapped his arms around her. He was freezing cold as well, but there was nothing he could really do aside from that to help her warm up.

"We need to find a way to shut off the air," Summer pointed out, quickly changing the topic of conversation before everyone got embarrassed.

"Without cutting off our own air," Flynn added.

"M-Maybe Dillon can fuse the vent s-s-hut," Hayden suggested, "If he can m-melt the metal and turn it in s-so that the vent is-s closed."

"I can try," Dillon shrugged. He reached up, just barely making it to the vent. Suddenly, he felt Flynn giving him a boast. Now that he could grab the air vent, it was easier to heat it up and morph it.

"Leave a small space," Flynn told the Blue Ranger, "Who knows if air can enter from anywhere else. We need to breathe."

Dillon nodded, making sure there was only a small hole so some air could get through. Flynn let him drop and looked up at the work.

"Well, you're one hot guy," Flynn smirked, tapping his friend on the shoulder, "I thought it would have taken much longer to heat up the metal and move it around."

"Can we stop with the hot jokes?" Dillon growled, "They were never funny."

Suddenly, another Ranger was thrown into the room. Again, Flynn tried to catch the door before it closed, but failed.

Making the best of another Ranger prisoner, Hayden ran to Mike, wrapping herself in his arms.

"Warmth," she sighed contently, "I never thought I would be happy to be hugging you."

"Let me guess," Dillon frowned, "Snuck around the base for a while, found this room, T15 snuck up on you and kicked your ass before tossing you in here."

Mike nodded, "Yeah."

"Have you guys made an order yet?" Dillon asked, "Who would be next?"

"There's no order," Mike sighed, "After Summer left, Dawn wanted to come in after you guys. But, I told her I would go in her place."

"She might be next then," Summer said.

"I doubt it," Mike answered, "Samantha's been pretty eager to kick some robot butt. She might be the next one to give Scott the slip."

"Or Scott might risk himself for her," Dillon frowned, "That's how I wound up here. Apparently it was in vain, seeing as the person I was trying to protect is in here with me."

"I wasn't about to lose you and Hayden," Summer said.

"But you lost your voice," Dillon told her, "Don't overuse it."

"He just told you to s-shut up," Hayden giggled. Somehow she managed to drown herself in Mike's jacket, without removing the coat from his body in anyway.

"Warm, lass?" Flynn chuckled. Hayden nodded her head as she pushed deeper into Mike, enjoying the warmth his body provided for her. Flynn placed his hand on her shoulder squeezing it in support.

"What's-s going to happ-ppen now?" Hayden asked.

"T15's gotten all of us to fall for her plan," Dillon said. "For some reason I don't think we're all going to make it out like we normally do."

"We're not going t-to die, are we?"

"I wouldn't put it past T15."

-----RPM-----

Out in the wastes, Greg, Samantha and Dawn were the last three left standing. Everyone else had taken their turn to go in. As Dillon predicted, Scott followed Mike, taking Samantha's turn to delay a possible doom for her. Once ten minutes passed after that, Ziggy walked in next. He claimed that he should be the one to go in after Scott because they had a "bond".

After Ziggy was Daniela. Greg didn't want to see her go, but she had given him the slip with her super speed and was long gone before he knew it.

Now ten minutes had passed since she left. Samantha looked down at the watch Summer gave her and nodded.

"It's time," she said.

"No one's come back yet," Greg frowned, "It's been fifty minutes. Surely there would be a sign."

"I'm just as worried as you," Samantha said, "but we've gotta back up the others. We'll be right behind you..."

"_Anyone?"_ Kaylee's voice came on the communicator, _"Who can hear me?"_

"Mom, its Sam, Dawn and Greg; you fixed the systems?"

"_We have. What's your status?"_

"Everyone else is gone," Samantha said, "They went into the palace and we haven't seen them since. Daniela just disappeared ten minutes ago."

There was a deep sigh on the other end, _"Return to base. This really isn't looking good."_

"Got it," Samantha nodded, shutting off communications, "Well, you heard her. We should head home."

"What?" Greg frowned, "No. I'm not leaving the others in the palace! Especially Dani! She's finally back in my life. You don't know how painful it is to watch your girlfriend try suicide then go to jail!"

"The go," Dawn smiled, "We'll go back to Kaylee and tell her what went on. But keep your morpher with you and let the others know something funny's going on."

Greg nodded, but before leaving he had to make sure whatever had been bugging the systems in Corinth was gone. He turned on his morpher and groaned as it began to spark.

"Morphers aren't fully online yet," he said, "Any powers we get from them won't work until they've been fully reprogrammed."

"How do you do that?" Dawn asked.

"We did it on my computer," Greg explained, "Dr. K and I. Before Kaylee and the Rangers knew I was working behind the scenes. All the information is there. Once it's started, it'll go automatically."

"So we'll start up your computer and it'll reboot the morphers," Samantha smiled, "Sounds simple enough."

"Hopefully Ziggy's still alive," Greg said as he began to take off in the direction of the Venjix palace. Once you get the system started, he'll be able to teleport us all back home."

"Hopefully everyone's still alive," Samantha agreed, "Good luck, Greg."

"Good luck to you guys too," Greg nodded.

-----RPM-----

One by one, every Ranger had been fooled into the trap, each being forced into the freezer by T15 and locked inside. Once Greg arrived, it seemed all hope for the Rangers was gone.

Hayden, Flynn, Summer and Dillon were almost blue as they all shivered uncontrollably. They had been trapped inside the frozen hell the longest. Dillon was so cold he was no longer able to produce fire. It didn't help that both his and Flynn's jackets had burned away.

Mike, Scott and Ziggy were starting to feel the cold as they bundled up. Dani and Greg were both the warmest, but that wasn't saying much.

"We should all huddle up together," Daniela suggested, "My dad's always told me that it's the best way to warm up."

Greg nodded, "We'll take turns being in the middle," he said, "Hayden'll go first, then Flynn, then Dillon and so on."

"Until when?" Summer asked.

"Until we're saved," Dillon told her.

"Or until we die," Scott breathed.

-----RPM-----

"Dr. K!" Sam and Dawn shouted as they entered the Ranger base. They caught the young doctor by the arms, "Where's Greg's computer?"

"In my lab, why?"

Dawn and Sam had no time to explain, rushing over to the computer in the corner of the lab. Kaylee followed her daughter and niece.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Everyone's gone. After you called, Greg went into the palace. He said his morpher wasn't working and it had to be fully reprogrammed," Samantha explained as Dawn fumbled with the keys to turn on the computer.

"We can only do that from his computer," Gem said, looking to his sister.

"Greg said that too," Dawn frowned. The screen turned on and she smirked, until a little pop-up box ruined her day.

"_Password required,"_ it said, and a large 9 sat on the side of the box.

"We have nine tries," Dr. K said, "to figure out the password to his computer."

"Do you know it?" Kira asked the three Soup members. The twins and the doctor shook their heads.

"We never believed it was important to know," Gemma said, "These computers are always on."

"He turned his off," Dustin said, "When the whole Dani chaos started, he pulled away from his work to help her out. He turned off his computer."

"Now to get back inside, we'll need the password," Gem sighed.

"Aw, fuck," Samantha groaned. She looked to Dawn, "Try Daniela, or Dani."

"Which one?" Dawn asked.

"Dani," Ronny said, "He's always called her Dani. He wouldn't call her anything else."

Dawn nodded, typing in the four letter word and pressing enter. Quickly, there was a red message on the bottom.

"Denied," she read. "It's not Dani."

The count dropped to eight. Everyone exchanged worried looks. Greg was one of the hardest people to figure out. Not even his parents could tell what went on inside his head, and with communication still down on the morphers, there was no helpline.

"Alphabet Soup?" Kira suggested, "Last thing you would think he would want to remember."

Dawn tried entering it in, but again received the same message as before: Denied.

"Dammit," Kaylee shouted, slamming her hands down on her desk, "Of all people, it had to be Greg's mind we're trying to get into."

"Falcon!" Dustin grinned, "He's always telling Dani he's the Falcon Ranger!"

Dawn tried, and failed.

"Chicken?" Gem suggested.

"Now we're just wasting tries," Kaylee sighed. "We have six tries guys. C'mon, think!"


	69. Six Letter Word

"_Password denied."_

Everyone groaned loudly, watching the little number drop with every try.

"We've tried Dani, Alphabet Soup, Falcon, Gold, Silver, Nine, Ranger and Rose," Kira groaned, "Nothing's worked."

"Think," Kaylee growled, spinning endlessly on a swivel chair, "Think; what the hell could it be?"

Dawn examined the screen carefully, hoping the answer would hit her. As she scanned the monitor her eyes fell upon a _help_ button. She clicked it, opening up a folder.

"Guys, look at this," she smiled, sitting back in the chair as a video began to play. "Hopefully this can help us."

"He left a video blog?" Leanne asked.

"No, he's left us some help."

_The video started with Daniela looking around the lab in awe, before her eyes landed on two morphers. One was trimmed in gold, while the other was trimmed in silver._

_She reached out to grab one, when someone clear their throat. She turned around and spotted Greg._

"_Greg? What are you doing here? Did you run away from your fancy High school?"_

"_Dani, I don't go to a high School!"_

"_Yeah, it was a boarding school for gifted children... your parents told mine that two men approached them when you were little and invited you to join. You haven't been home since."_

"_Look, I'll tell you about it later..."_

"_Are you a part of Project Ranger? Ooh, are you the secret eighth Ranger?"_

"_Unfortunately, I'm the secret ninth Ranger. After Dr. K and I lost two of our friends in the evacuation, we had to find two new people to wear the Gold and Silver suits."_

"_Ohh, is Dr. K the other one? That would be weird..."_

"_No, she's not the other one," Greg rubbed his temples. "We don't have a silver, until now."_

"_You want me to wear silver... wait, can I get gold? Gold means you won, and I always win!"_

"_No, gold is mine."_

"_Aw, why?"_

"_Because I choose it first!"_

"_So, unchoose it!"_

"_It's bonded with my DNA."_

"_Well... unbond it!"_

_Greg thrust the silver morpher into Dani's hands, "Just take it. Now I gotta hide. If Kaylee figures out I'm here..."_

"_Why are you hiding?" _

"_Dr. K needs a friend. I'm the only one she really trusts. And If I go out there, who knows what'll happen to our friendship."_

"_Are you scared to lose her?"_

"_Yes, now get out of here before I'm spotted!"_

"_How does me leaving..."_

"_Take the morpher, hide it from Kaylee, and go!"_

"_Okay, okay," Dani stuffed her morpher away and left the room._

Tori blinked repeatedly before pulling away, "That didn't help... at all."

"Shh," Dawn smirked, clicking on the next button, "There's still one more."

-----RPM-----

"Shouldn't you be able to heal?" Ziggy asked. He was shivering, he was tired and he wanted to go home. But it seemed like there was no way out.

"Heal f-from what?" Hayden frowned, trying to keep her eyes open as the cold got to her, "Cold affects-s me l-like it affects y-you."

Flynn held her tighter, "You're freezing cold," he whispered, attempting to warm her up. He had nothing to lose by trying.

"You're cold t-too," Hayden stammered.

"Hayden, are you okay?" Summer asked, noticing Hayden's eyes were slowly dropping and she was losing a lot of colour in her face. Hayden turned to Summer slowly, but blinked rapidly. Her eyes were hurting. She was sure they were frozen. "You don't look good."

"I can't s-s-stay awake," Hayden whispered, "I'm trying..."

Dani shifted in closer, "You were a little wet earlier," she stated.

"Dillon th-thawed me from a giant ice-ce-cube," Hayden explained, "Was-n't able t-to dry without get-t-ting burned."

Hayden showed the burn on her arm, which had yet to fully heal. Daniela frowned, placing two fingers on Hayden's neck.

"What are you doing?" Greg asked his girlfriend, moving in closer to her.

"It's slow," Dani whispered, "Her temperature's dropping."

"She's been in here longest," Flynn stated.

"And she was wet," Dani nodded, "Pretty soon, we'll all be like her."

"What does that mean?" Scott asked.

"Her blood vessels have probably narrowed, her heart rate has dropped, she's tired..."

"What's going on? What's happening to her?" Summer pressed impatiently.

"Same thing that's happening to us. Hypothermia's going to be the death of us all."

"Why doesn't she just heal?" Ziggy asked, "I don't get it?"

"She regenerates tissues and muscles," Greg explained.

"So she isn't immortal," Ziggy grinned, but it was short lived. He was shivering fiercely, just like the girls.

"We'll all have to huddle," Summer suggested, "Not just in pairs."

Dillon frowned, "You mean I have to wrap my arms around one of the guys?"

"We'll be sharing body heat," Scott nodded, "I agree with Summer. Everyone huddle up. We'll all put our pride away for now."

"I'd rather die with my pride," Dillon groaned. Summer grabbed his collar, pulling him into the group.

"We need you, hot-head," she said, "Your fire powers increased your normal temperature. You're warmer than the rest of us."

Dillon rolled his eyes, wrapping one arm around Summer, and the other around Ziggy.

"This is never leaving the palace, understood," he warned.

"If we get out of here, I promise, we'll leave this behind," Scott nodded.

-----RPM-----

Greg's second video began with a shot of all the Rangers. Kaylee smiled, seeing her team before the picture faded into just Scott. _The video was silent as Scott stood by his car, scolding people who walked too close._

_Just for kicks, Hayden snuck up behind Scott and tapped him on the shoulder. Scott turned around, reaching to grab her, but the Pink Ranger evaded him, hopping up on the car for a quick getaway. Scott's face turned red with anger as he silently chased after the girl._

_Hayden ran right towards the camera, almost knocking it over as Scott followed suit._

_All of a sudden, the screen changed to Summer and Dillon on the couch. Slowly, the camera moved in closer as the couple moved in to kiss. Just before their lips touched, the camera got right in between them._

_Suddenly, the camera was soaring through the air, landing upside down, facing the couch as it focused on Dillon chasing Greg away._

_There was another change in time to when Flynn was mixing fruits for one of his famous smoothies. He had yet to enjoy one and was hoping this would be the time. As he started the blender, the top came off and smoothie was splattered everywhere. Flynn started flailing around as he tried to find the top and put it back on before he lost everything. The camera was shaking as well, most likely due to Greg laughing at Flynn's misfortune._

_The camera turned to Ziggy and Mike by the pool table. The two Green Rangers were having a friendly game. Only the eight ball was left and it was Ziggy's turn to go. Mike had a confident look on his face, almost sure his friend was going to miss his shot._

_Ziggy looked up and began speaking. It looked as if he was placing a bet with Mike. The D-Green Ranger shook Ziggy's hand and smirked as Ziggy took the shot. To his surprise, Ziggy sunk the ball. Mike lowered his head and reached for his wallet, handing the entire thing to the younger boy. Ziggy cheered, throwing his hands in the air and bouncing around happily._

_Mike and Ziggy faded away as Gem, Gemma and Rebecca came onto the screen. There was a cake placed in front of the doctor. The candles were all lit and Gem and Gemma wore huge grins on their faces as they sang a song. No one needed volume to know it was Happy-Birthday._

_Rebecca blew out the candles, and Greg, still holding the camera, took the cake away. Rebecca frowned, looking slightly upset that her cake would once again disappear on her birthday, until Greg presented her with a gift. She smiled up at the camera as she opened it to find a beautiful butterfly figurine, red, blue, yellow, green, black, pink, gold and silver all on the wings, with a fancy K painted on the head. On the bottom, was her full name._

_Rebecca smiled brightly, hugging the twins before making her way over to Greg. The Gold Ranger put the camera down and hugged her. On the side of the screen, everyone caught the hug. It was barely visible, but it was there._

_Finally, for the last time, the scene changed. Now Dani was in the nursery, all alone as she rocked Engel to sleep. Greg walked in with the camera slowly and watched the scene. Daniela looked up from Engel and spotted her boyfriend. She motioned for him to be quiet while Greg set the camera down, keeping the focus on Dani and Engel as he joined her in rocking the little child to sleep._

Ronny smiled brightly, "Looks like a fun team," she whispered, "I forgot how much fun everyone used to have here."

"It's like when you put the seven of us in a room together," Lily laughed as she looked to her six sisters, "A little messed up, very crazy, but still a family."

Lily stood up straight, turning to her older sister, "Right, Ronny? We are still a family? Seven sisters and seven brothers in-law."

Ronny shook her head, remembering her problems with David. A tear ran down her cheek. She desperately wanted to go back to the times in the video; when everyone was happy and carefree. She didn't want her daughter to go to jail. She didn't want things to change.

Lily touched her sister's hand.

"You're scared," she smiled, reading Ronny's emotions, "You afraid of what might happen. You're expecting the worst, and because it's not coming, you're trying to make it."

"Ronny," Kaylee whispered, "You don't have to expect the worst."

"It's the end," Ronny sighed, "The Rangers are gone. It doesn't matter if he loves her or not."

"You know he does," Lily said, "You've always known. You just needed a reason to be mad."

"You've got a lot of apologizing to do," Kira smirked.

"Can we focus on that later?" Tiny asked, feeling a little awkward for interrupting the moment between the sisters, but he was growing more and more nervous about Red, "Aren't the Rangers all in danger."

Dawn nodded, turning back in the chair after watching the sisters talk. She had been so absorbed by their closeness, she was distracted.

"Right, I think I know the password."

"Are you sure?" Kelly asked, leaning over the chair and watching as Dawn typed in a six letter word.

"Positive," Dawn nodded, "The videos were two clues. You'd have to be an idiot not to figure it out. Greg's arrival here, reuniting with Dani, videos of all the people he's come to love as brothers and sisters, and ending it all with himself, Dani and a baby."

Samantha smiled, "What's a six letter word for love?"

-----RPM-----

It seemed only the strong could survive as Scott's eyes slowly shut and he joined whatever haven Ziggy and the girls had disappeared too.

"He's out," Dillon sighed, "It's only a matter of time before the cold catches us."

"I'm probably next," Greg sighed, "Between the four of us, I'm the smallest. My body heat will leave much faster than yours."

"Is this going to be some form of math I wish I took before my school blew up?" Mike joked, but no one was laughing. They were all numb from the cold. They couldn't feel anything physically, nor emotionally.

Greg's eyes started to shut, but Flynn grabbed his arm before they did.

"Will you all be okay?" he asked, "If the mentors can figure out the password soon... you'll all still survive, right?"

Greg shrugged, "We can only hope."

Dillon began rubbing his hands together and blowing on them.

"What are you doing?" Mike asked him.

"Trying to warm them up," Dillon frowned, "No one's dying. Not after we've come this far!"

"Who knew," Greg whispered, "after everything we've been through, the cold is our worst enemy."

"We're not done!" Dillon yelled, "I won't let anyone die. Not you, not Hayden, not Ziggy, not Summer!"

"Dillon, you can't do anything. You're body temperature is too low," Greg warned him.

"I can try," Dillon said, his voice calming as his hands slowly stopped rubbing together.

After what seemed like forever, Greg found that he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He grabbed Flynn and Dillon's arms and smiled.

"At least, if we all die here, we die as a family," he breathed before loosing consciousness.


	70. Rescued

Dillon and Mike were the only two Rangers left conscious. Not long after the cold took Greg, it claimed Flynn as well.

"Admit it," Mike whispered, trying to keep focus on Dillon, "If Venjix had taken us all prisoner except you, and gave you the choice between saving us and getting your human body and memories back, you would have chosen us."

Dillon smirked and nodded, "Only because of Summer."

Mike smirked as well. He saw through Dillon's mask, but the fact that even in his last few moments Dillon was still trying to keep it up was something to smile at.

"Okay, new situation," he said, "Everyone but you and Summer."

Dillon paused for a few moments. Mike looked at him with a grin, breaking Dillon's wall.

"I would have chosen you guys," he laughed, "C'mon, isn't it obvious? We're family."

Mike looked down at the group he was holding in his arms to try and keep warm. Even though they were long gone, Mike and Dillon refused to say they were dead. They were positive that somehow, they were going to make it out alive.

Suddenly, from the morphers, the two boys heard a cackling sound.

"_Hayden? Are you there?"_

Mike and Dillon smiled happily, hearing the morphers were back online. Mike reached down, around Scott and Dani, to grab Hayden. He pulled her in closer and grabbed her morpher.

"Aunt K, it's Mike."

"_Thank God!"_ Tori cried on the other end, obviously relieved to hear her son's voice.

"_What happened to you guys? Are you okay?_" Kaylee asked.

"Dillon and I are fine," Mike nodded, "A little chilled..."

"Only slightly," Dillon joked.

"But we're fine."

"_Morphers are back online. Ziggy can now teleport home."_ Dr. K announced.

Mike and Dillon both winced slightly, looking to the fallen L-Green Ranger in Dillon's arms.

"Um, about that..." Dillon started, "He's a little out cold."

"_A little?"_ Kaylee asked.

"Only slightly," Dillon nodded, "Either way, he can't work his own morpher. We can't teleport."

"_Guys, what happened?"_

"We're trapped in a giant freezer," Mike answered, "All nine of us."

Over at the Garage, the mentors and other family members were in total shock.

"A freezer?" Kira frowned.

"_It's a pretty big freezer."_

"Who's still with you?" Kaylee asked.

"_Everyone's with us,"_ Mike answered.

"You know what I mean, Michael," Kaylee growled, "Who is conscious."

"_Dillon and I."_

"_Only slightly."_

"Dillon, shut up for a minute!" Kaylee barked, "Is there any way out?"

"_Only a way in," _Dillon told her. _"There's a keypad in front of the door. There's not official password to it, but it doesn't open from the inside. Only out."_

"You guys stay warm," Kaylee instructed them as she ran to the coat hanger by the door. She slid on her RPM Mentor jacket, "I'm coming to get you."

"Are you crazy?" Tori frowned, "They're in the palace, with freak-ass robots everywhere! You could get killed!"

"So could they," Kaylee said, "You know you can't stop me."

Tori nodded, "I know."

She grabbed her shirt and ripped it off. Gem and Gemma looked away, thinking she was pulling off her clothes.

When they thought it was safe, they looked back and saw Tori dressed in a black and blue leather uniform.

"Hey, Mike has something..."

"... just like that," they remarked.

"I would hope so," Tori smiled, "Wind Ninja Academy uniforms aren't cheap, even when you're teaching there."

"Does your morpher still work?" Kaylee asked her sister. Tori smiled and nodded, pulling it out of her pocket.

"Online since 2007."

"Good."

"Speaking of," Kira smirked, grabbing her morpher from her bags, "Mine's been online all this time as well."

"Mine since 2008," Ronny smiled.

Leanne pulled away, "I never got one."

Kelly laughed, placing her hand on Leanne's good shoulder, "You wouldn't be out fighting anyways. You can stay with me. Dawn's got my morpher, and I'm pretty sure she's not going to let me take it back."

"Hell no," Dawn smirked.

"I still have my solar morpher," Lily nodded, "And my cheetah spirit, so I'm good."

Kaylee turned her gaze to Dustin. His morpher hadn't been working for years, but she was positive that he wasn't going to let that stand in the way on him rescuing his daughter and the Rangers from a giant freezer.

"I'm in too," he smiled, ripping off his clothes, exposing his Sensei uniform that still fit, even after so many years.

"Does your morpher work?" Kaylee asked him, "Last thing I want to do is care for you, Hayden and officially adopt Christian all on my own."

"It doesn't," Dustin frowned, "But we can fix that, right?"

"Do we have time?" Kira asked, looking to Rebecca. She shrugged.

"What kind of morpher is it?"

"It's like Kaylee's Ninja Storm morpher," Dustin told her, pulling his morpher out of his bag of things and handing it to the doctor, "But it might take a while. Cam was usually working on it for weeks when we..."

"Done," Dr. K smirked, handing the little device back to Dustin. Dustin looked at it in awe, then at the doctor.

"How did you...?"

"Do you really want me to explain?" Rebecca asked. Dustin decided to leave it be. The doctor may have been much younger and less experienced, but she definitely had a vocabulary that would puzzle even Einstein once she began to ramble about technology.

"Never mind," he said.

"Gem, Gemma, feel like joining?" Kaylee smirked. The twins nodded fiercely; more than ready to finally take part in a battle. "We'll need you two and your explosive personalities."

"What do you want...?"

"... us to do?" they asked their mentor.

Kaylee pulled up a blueprint of the Venjix Palace on the computer. It wasn't exact, but it was the best she and the other mentors could do using memory alone.

"I want to end this," Kaylee said, "No more Robots, no more fear and no more danger. While we Rangers go off to save the kids, you two will be running around the palace, placing explosives anywhere you can. Your goal: make the biggest boom possible."

"Whoa..." both twins smirked.

"Blow up anything you can," Kaylee ordered, "As long as it's not human, it's going to waste."

"Can do, boss!" Gem and Gemma saluted, "But we have one problem."

"What's that?" Kaylee asked.

"It's a suicide mission," Gem stated. He pointed to the blueprints, "The best place to set up the explosives would be right here."

His finger circled the center of the entire palace.

"But that would mean that whoever sets them off will have about ten seconds to make it out of the palace and into the safe zone before the whole place goes ka-boom!"

Gemma nodded, "There's no way anyone could clear it."

Kaylee looked over to Ronny. She knew that both Ronny and Dani were the only two people who stood a chance at making it out alive with their super speed, but she didn't want to risk it. She had already hurt the Marks family enough and didn't want them to have to take another bullet for the team. Not when there was a second option.

"Once we save Hayden, I'll ask her to do it," she said, "If not, I'll set if off."

"Kaylee..." Dustin started, but she hushed him.

"You can't stop me."

"It's dangerous."

"Any more dangerous than letting T15, H-07 and the Samuels walk this earth another day?" Kaylee frowned, "You know just as well as I do that if we don't stop her now, T15's just going to come up with a new plan; something that could really hurt us."

Dustin nodded, but didn't seem convinced. Kaylee kissed him.

"You know nothing's going to happen," she smiled, "We've all come too far to die this way."

"Kaylee, I can..." Ronny started her offer, but Kaylee quickly shot it down.

"I've put your family through enough already," she said, "It's my turn to take a hit."

"Or we could just throw Uncle Conner into the building," Samantha shrugged, "I'm sure he would make it out."

"Rangers," Dr. K called, looking up at the new team. She frowned, "Or should I say Old Rangers, you might wanna start leaving now. The team doesn't have long."

"Do you have their vitals?" Kaylee asked, strapping her morpher on.

"It's not looking good."

"Anyone dead?" Kira asked.

"You have about ten minutes to locate the Rangers before the first set of them die," Dr. K informed them. "Just a suggestion: you might wanna hurry."

Kaylee grabbed Tori and Dustin and motioned for them to grab the others joining them on this adventure.

"Thank God I remember what the main room of the palace looks like," she smiled before all ten rescuers disappeared in a cloud of Green Smoke and the sound _ZWOP!_ echoed through the air.

Kelly coughed, waving her hand in front of her face to blow the smoke away.

"I think that cloud gets bigger with age."

"What age?" Leanne frowned, "Kaylee's always going to be a little kid."

-----RPM-----

Kaylee, Tori, Kira, Ronny, Lily, Dustin, Samantha, Dawn and the boom-twins arrived in the palace, finding the main room empty.

"They must be somewhere else," Dawn said, "Now that Venjix is gone they don't have to spend all their time in front of that giant tube."

"Well, I'm not going to complain," Kaylee nodded. She turned to the twins who were carrying a load of explosives in their arms. Right before arriving in the Palace, Kaylee made a Zwop-Stop at the Vault. She knew that's where the biggest and most dangerous weapons were held. Though she took them illegally, she was sure the city wouldn't mind much. "Do you guys know where you're going?"

"We'll figure it out," they said.

"Okay, good," Kaylee smiled, "And remember, don't set off the explosives, no matter what. Either Hayden or I will come and do it once we get the Rangers out of this place."

"Got it," the twins nodded.

"And be sure you guys get out," Tori added, "We might not have time to check up on both of you."

"We'll be fine," the twins said, waving off Tori's concern, "We've lived through worse."

While they took off on their own adventure, Kaylee lead her team into the halls. There were two ways to go.

"Which way?" Dustin asked her.

"We're eight," Kaylee stated, "We should split up."

"Splitting up got the others in this mess," Samantha said, "Bad idea mom."

Kaylee thought for a moment. Samantha was right, they did need to stay together, but they only had a few short minutes before the first set of kids froze to death. They couldn't risk the wrong path.

"This way," Dawn smiled, going to the right, "Venjix had an empty room down here. If I'm right, T15 would have turned it into a freezer."

"Should we follow?" Ronny asked.

"We don't seem to have a choice," Kaylee shrugged.

"Dawn, are you sure you know where you're going?" Dustin asked his niece. Dawn nodded, keeping her eyes on the wall, looking for a door with a keypad.

"Almost positive," she said.

"Five minutes," Lily whispered.

All at once, the Rangers started picking up the pace, running down the long empty hallways, hoping they choose the right path.

"Where is it?" Kira groaned, getting more and more agitated with every door they passed.

Suddenly, Samantha took off, spreading her wings and soaring down the halls. She stopped in front of a door and the others saw her hands moving around beside it. After a moment, she flew right through the wall where the door was.

"It's open!" Dustin called, running after his daughter, "She found it!"

Lily looked down at her watch, "And not a minute too soon."

The worried Rangers made their way into the room. The temperature wasn't freezing cold, like they thought it would, but it was definitely dangerous to spend too many hours trapped inside.

Kira grabbed Summer, holding her close while wrapping an arm around Dillon. Ronny picked up Dani and Greg to warm them up. Tori took Mike and Samantha grabbed Scott and Ziggy.

Dawn took Flynn while Kaylee and Dustin held Hayden. Those five stayed close together to warm up the Blue and Pink Rangers.

Meanwhile, Lily stood by the door, holding it open so they weren't all trapped, even though Kaylee could just Zwop everyone out of there.

"Hurry up, guys," she called for them, "I'm sure you're all happy their safe, but they won't be after thirty more seconds."

Suddenly a hand fell down on the Cheetah Ranger's shoulder. Lily's eyes widened as she slowly turned, spotting T15.

"No one will be alive in the next thirty seconds if we don't get out of here," Lily corrected, dropping into a defensive stance.

Samantha and Dawn handed Scott and Flynn over to the others before backing up Lily.

"You guys get them out of here," Samantha whispered, "We'll keep clone girl busy."

"I'll be back for you," Kaylee nodded as she and the others disappeared, leaving only Lily, Dawn and Samantha.

"Three against one," Dawn shrugged, "I like these odds."

With the snap of her fingers, T15 called H-07 and the Samuels to her side.

"You had to say it," Lily groaned.

"Everyone else is safe," Samantha nodded, "We just gotta keep these guys distracted until my mom gets back."

"Easier said than done," Dawn gulped as T15 and her crew advanced towards them.

-----RPM-----

Kaylee dropped her family off in the middle of the wastes; somewhere she was sure the radiation wasn't strong, before disappearing. She reappeared only a few seconds later, her arms filled with blankets.

She draped one around Mike and one around Dillon before wrapping the rest of the kids up.

"Will they be okay?" Mike asked, shivering fiercely.

"Hopefully they will be," Ronny nodded. She was getting cold just by holding Dani and Greg, but she couldn't let go. Her body heat was probably going to be the only thing to save them. She wrapped herself up in the blanket with them and everyone else did the same. There was no way the kids would be able to heat themselves up. Not when their core temperature had dropped so low.

Kaylee made her way to Dillon, leaving Flynn and Hayden in Dustin's care for a moment. She wrapped her hands around Dillon's and started rubbing them together.

"What are you doing?" Dillon asked her.

"Warming you up," Kaylee answered, "When you're warm, you can make a fire. It'll help everyone else."

Dillon nodded and tried the best he could to help Kaylee effectively rub his hands together. Kaylee could feel him warming up slightly. She just hoped it happened in time.

"What about the others?" Dillon whispered.

"They can hold their own for a minute," Kaylee said, "Everyone here has their hands full."

Dillon starting rubbing his hands fasters and pulled away from Kaylee to blow down on them. He worked faster and faster, knowing the life of his family was at stake. No matter how much they annoyed him, he couldn't imagine a day without them.

Suddenly, there was a spark. Kaylee grinned, standing away from Dillon. Kira let him go and held Summer tighter as Dillon waved his hands around. Fire sprouted from his palms and grew larger.

"I have nothing to burn," Dillon told Kaylee. Quickly, the mentor ripped off her jacket and set it down on the ground.

"This should last until I get back," Kaylee said, "just don't let Tori near the fire."

A cloud of green smoke replaced Kaylee as she went off to help the trio still in the palace.


	71. The Big Bang

Kaylee arrived inside the Palace just in time to see T15 standing over Dawn, a long sabre at the ready for the first kill of the fight.

"Hey!" Kaylee shouted, morphing instantly, "No one picks on my family but me."

T15 looked up at the old Ranger in amusement, "So, you've returned to the spandex? Aren't you a little old? I'm sure spandex doesn't cover up those wrinkles."

"Actually," Kaylee smirked as she flicked her wrists, bringing out the long metallic claws from her knuckles, "it's a self sustaining nano-fibre capable of instantaneously morphing onto the body of the Ranger user whose DNA has been inserted into the memory of the technology - created by Dr. K and myself - from anywhere on the planet so long as the morphing grid and the systems are running smoothly."

"Wow that's a mouthful," T15 frowned. Kaylee didn't hesitate to attack, striking her niece's clone in the jaw with her claws. T15's skin ripped slightly around the bone, exposing the hardware inside.

From behind, Samantha kicked H-07 to the wall and grabbed Mrs. Samuels to toss her into her husband, before helping her mother out. Lily finally regained consciousness after being out for a minutes and kept the robots distracted so Samantha could grab T15 around the waist and fly to the ceiling.

"Put me down you freak!" T15 shrieked. H-07 recovered quickly and pulled out a blaster. He aimed the weapon for Samantha.

"BUZZ!" Kaylee shouted as H-07 shot his blaster. At the same time, she pulled her hand up, summoning the water that had begun melting in the freezer room from the door being left open. The water soared through the air at her command, passing by the blast and hitting T15 in the jaw where her mechanical features were exposed.

Kaylee didn't watch the water short circuit T15 for a moment, nor did she watch as the shock passed through T15 and hit her daughter. She grabbed Dawn's and Lily's wrists, pulling them with her as she ran to stand under Samantha.

When Samantha was hit by the shock she momentarily blacked out and her wings retracted. She began falling head first to the ground.

_ZWOP!_

Kaylee , Lily and Dawn appeared in mid air, with Kaylee holding Dawn with one hand and grabbing Samantha with the other. Dawn grabbed onto lily to be sure the cheetah wasn't going to drop. Samantha let go of T15 to wrap her arms around her mother, fearing the fall awaiting her if she failed to do so. Once Kaylee saw no one was touching T15 she teleported again.

_ZWOP!_

T15 was now falling freely while H-07's blast exploded just above her. Suddenly, she hit the ground with a loud thump, landing between the robot soldiers. Due to her being a robot, she felt no pain. However, she was ready for revenge. No one got the best of her without feeling her wrath.

Getting to her feet, she snapped her neck back into place and felt the exposed machinery. She was going to need Mrs. Samuels to stitch that back up before she went into battle.

"H-07, Mr. Samuels, prepare the Grinders for an attack," she called, waving the two into the other room, "Contact the Rangers and let them know the fall of their precious cities is upon them."

"Is it time?" H-07 asked eagerly. T15 nodded.

"We'll take no human prisoners," T15 answered, "Except for Kaylee. Let her watch as the world she desperately wants to save comes crashing down around her."

T15 snapped her fingers, "Mrs. Samuels! I need some repairs and upgrades. I trust you to do a good job."

-----RPM-----

"I feel sick," Dawn groaned, appearing in the wastelands with the other Rangers after zwopping from the Palace.

"Sorry," Kaylee chuckled nervously, "Side effects from Zwopping for the first time. You should make sure you didn't lose anything of importance."

"Like what?" Dawn frowned. Kaylee shrugged before kneeling back with Dustin and Hayden. She looked to everyone.

"How are they holding up?"

"Still unconscious," Tori answered, "And that might be a euphemism."

"They haven't stirred," Kira added, "Not a single one. They aren't even warming up. We've moved them in closer to the fire, but it's not doing much."

"It would help if we had a bigger fire," Dustin sighed, "You jacket burned out a while ago; now Dillon's just burning the fire on his hands."

Kaylee looked at her black Ranger. The fire burning on his hands was small, but at least it was still alive.

"What do we do?" Ronny asked sadly, looking up at Kaylee with some kind of hope that the sister who pulled her out of so much trouble would once again work her magic.

Kaylee shrugged, shaking her head sadly, "I don't know."

Ronny's head dropped back as she squeezed Daniela lovingly.

Kaylee sighed. She didn't want to break any of the families up, but if she didn't find a way to help the Rangers, her sisters and Dustin would all lose someone important. She knew how horrible of a feeling it was. Turning her head to Samantha, she remembered the day Leanne told her she had a miscarriage. Even to this day, with her daughter back in her life; Kaylee still had a sick feeling in her stomach when she thought of that awful day. She always felt a pain, like she was having the miscarriage all over again.

Sadly, if the Rangers passed now, there would be no one to save them. Engel had been the one to spare Samantha's life almost twenty years before, but now Engel was a child, and Kaylee wasn't sure Guinn wouldn't do the same for _everyone_.

"It's too bad this isn't something you can't just kiss better," Mike sighed. Dillon raised his eyebrows as he looked at his friend.

"Kiss better?" he asked, "What are you, five?"

"I don't know," Mike breathed, "When you were a kid, no matter how much something hurt, when mommy kissed it, it felt all better. Samantha does it to Engel all the time, and Engel stops crying almost instantly. It's too bad that's not working now."

"That's because it's a stupid idea," Dillon groaned.

Dustin furrowed his brow, "Wait..."

He looked to Samantha and remembered the first time he's ever seen his daughter. She had kissed Kaylee, who appeared lifeless, and suddenly, Kaylee was back.

"Sam!" he cried excitedly, almost throwing Hayden's form to the ground, "You can!"

"I can what?" Samantha asked. She began to kneel down beside Scott, but Dustin reached over and pulled her in closer. He laid Hayden in her arms and smiled.

"Kiss her."

Samantha looked down, "I would rather not. Isn't in incest and... rape?"

Dustin sat before his daughters while looking at the eldest.

"When you were very little and your mother was on the Jungle Fury team, do you remember what happened to me?"

"You were the Dai Shi's host body," Samantha nodded, "While, during the first half."

"At one point, Camille nearly killed your mother and left her," Dustin explained. He looked to Kaylee momentarily to see if she was following him at all. Kaylee had a sympathetic look on her face and nodded. Dustin turned back to Samantha, "I thought she was dead. Then, this little infant appeared and started playing with her."

"That was me, dad," Samantha frowned.

"Yes it was," Dustin smiled, "And you gave your mother the cutest little kiss on the cheek. Not long after, Kaylee was back on her feet. Still a little hurt, but alive."

Samantha was beginning to get the point.

"So, you mean, I have mom's healing powers too?"

Dustin looked to Kaylee. He was never the expert in genetics. Truth be told, he was still wondering why Kelly didn't have the red headed child, when she was a red head herself, while Ronny had a daughter with red hair, when there was no red heads in the family.

Kaylee knelt down behind her daughters, "I guess so. Why don't you try?"

Samantha leaned in, giving her sister a quick peck on the cheek. She pulled away slowly, looking down.

"C'mon, Mayday," she whispered.

Suddenly, the youngest Brooks girls began to shiver. Samantha grinned, squeezing her sister as Hayden's eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?" Hayden asked.

"You died," Samantha laughed, handing her sister over to Dustin, "Again."

Samantha moved in closer to Scott, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as well. She waited to see if Scott would be resurrected as well. When the Red Ranger returned to life, Samantha hugged him tightly.

"Good morning," Scott chuckled as he tried to clear his throat, finding something tickling him, "To what do I owe this pleasant awakening."

"Death," Samantha smiled, "Don't do it again."

Samantha kissed Scott again, this time on the lips, before moving to the next fallen Ranger. She gave each one a quick peck on the cheek and everyone smiled as the team slowly returned to life.

-----RPM-----

"Last one," Gem smirked, planting the last explosive on a support beam before jumping off a large crate, "This place is ready to blow!"

He high-fived his sister and smiled brightly as the two took off towards the exit. However, before leaving, Gemma left a large red mark beside the central command, where the main explosive was planted. Once either Hayden or Kaylee set this explosive off, the others would follow.

-----RPM-----

"How are you guys feeling?" Kaylee asked the team as they were helped to their feet.

"Cold," Daniela answered. Greg wrapped his arm around her, tucking her in close to warm her up with whatever body heat he had. Ronny held them both close, feeling responsible for both their safety.

"Does that answer go all around?" Kaylee asked. The other frozen Rangers nodded. "Dillon, Mike?"

"We're a little warmer," Mike answered.

"Good," Kaylee said, "You two will help them back to Corinth."

"Take them to David," Ronny nodded, "Dani, tell your father I want to apologize next time I see him."

"Apologize?" Dani frowned, "For what?"

"He'll know," Ronny said, "Just pass on the message, please?"

"I will," Dani nodded.

"Okay, the rest of us, we're going in," Kaylee ordered, "Gem and Gemma are still inside. I'll go in and meet up with them; I need the rest of you to draw the robots out."

"Draw them out?" Lily asked, "Shouldn't we just blow them up?"

"I don't trust that," Kaylee said, "I would rather we destroy these robot bitches on our own. Make sure they're offline."

"We'll draw them out," Dustin nodded, trusting his wife's judgement. He had fought alongside her, and watched her fight for so many years that he was positive Kaylee knew what she was talking about.

"You're going in with Gem and Gemma?" Hayden asked her mother, "What are they doing here?"

"Nothing," Kaylee said. She didn't want to ask Hayden to run into an exploding building; not after reviving her.

Unfortunately for her, Hayden could read her like a book, "They're going to blow the Palace up, aren't they?"

"Hayden, go home," Kaylee ordered.

"Mom, you can heal, but if I know anything about the boom-twins, it's that the boom they're about to make, isn't going to be a boom. It's going to be a..."

"A...?"

"Wait for it," Hayden paused, before suddenly jumping, "**BOOM!**"

"I'll be fine Hayden," Kaylee assured her daughter, but Hayden refused to accept that.

"I'll go in," she said, "I'm not injured, I'm just cold."

"You could have hypothermia," Kaylee told her, "You're not..."

"I can't get sick. I can't develop any diseases or whatever hypothermia does."

"It..."

"I don't care," Hayden said, interrupting Ronny abruptly, "Mom, you're not going in. I will. You lead the old Rangers into the Palace and draw out T15 and whoever else you want to pull out. Dillon, Mike, Sam and Dawn, take the team back to my Uncle. Make sure their ready for the final battle."

"Women in charge," Dustin smirked, "It's so cute. You know you're little girl's growing up when she starts leading her own team of Power Rangers."

"No, that's just us," Kaylee breathed, "Hayden..."

"Mom, are you really going to argue with me?" Hayden asked, "Because I got my stubborn/persistent genes from you."

"Then where did Dawn get her stubborn attitude from?" Dustin asked, "I'm stubborn and persistent."

"No you're not," Dawn smirked, "I get it from my mom."

"Yeah," Dustin sighed.

Hayden looked around, "Why the hell aren't you all moving?" she asked, "GO!"

Everyone went their separate ways expect for Dawn. She stepped beside her cousin, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm coming with you," she said, "You may be invincible, but you did almost die from hypothermia. Someone's gotta keep an eye on you."

"But the place is going to explode," Hayden frowned.

"I know a fast way out," Dawn smirked, "I'll be fine. And anyways, once we get inside, you can do what you have to. I'll guard the door. You know, from Grinders."

Hayden nodded, "Alright, c'mon."

-----RPM-----

T15 was getting her upgrades from Mrs. Samuels in the main room when the doors were kicked down and a yellow Ranger stepped in, throwing H-07 and Mr. Samuels to the ground.

"We're here to kill you," Dustin said.

T15 stood up and Mrs. Samuels took her place behind her leader.

"Do you really think that's going to happen?" she asked, "I'm Tenaya Generation 15..."

"Yeah, I know," Dustin smirked, "But I'm still going to kill you, okay?"

"I highly doubt that," T15 frowned. She stepped to her two male robot lackeys, grabbing them by the neck and bringing them to their feet. "Bring him to me."

"Power of Water!"

"Unleash the Cheetah!"

"It's Zwopping time!"

"I run really fast!"

Suddenly, the room was attacked by yellow, blue and green beams of light as Tori, Lily, Kaylee and Ronny appeared suddenly. Tori surfed in a stream of water, hitting Mrs. Samuels in the center of the chest, knocking her down. Lily's cheetah emerged from her body and clawed at the other Samuel.

Kaylee teleported in, appearing before T15, poking her nose teasingly as a distraction. Ronny zoomed by everyone, creating wind strong enough to knock the others off their feet.

Suddenly, there was a loud and piercing screamed that echoed in the room as Kira stepped in. The screamed caused the robots to glitch momentarily and gave the Rangers the signal to run.

Kaylee tapped T15 on the head, "Gotta go!"

When T15 and the robots recovered, she began fuming.

"AFTER THEM!"

Kaylee brought up the rear as the older Rangers speed towards the exit. The mentor put her morpher to her mouth.

"Gem, Gemma, when you see Hayden, tell her to blow this place up!"

-----RPM-----

"Got it, Kaylee!" Gem answered, slowing down for a moment so his sister could catch up. Just as they were about to take off, they ran into Hayden and Dawn.

"This place is good to blow," Gemma smiled, "I marked the main explosive. When you set it off you'll have ten seconds to get out of here."

"Sounds good," Dawn nodded.

"You go with them," Hayden told her. "Ten seconds..."

"I'll be fine," Dawn said, "I'm coming with you."

"No."

"You don't get a say in my life," Dawn frowned, "As your older cousin it's my job to protect you. I'm coming with you and leading you out of here so you don't wind up and twenty different places by the end of this."

Hayden groaned and nodded for Gem and Gemma to get out quickly. She and Dawn took off down the hall leading to the middle room.

"By the way," Hayden started as Dawn shut the door behind her, "You're only older by a few days."

Dawn found the main explosive, marked in red and called Hayden over. She pointed to a door, camouflaged behind a fake shelf.

"When I reach that door, you push the button," Dawn explained, "I'll start running and you follow me. Hopefully after ten seconds there will be enough wall between the two of us to protect us from exploding.

Hayden nodded, "I guess I have to trust you."

"I guess you do," Dawn nodded as she stood beside the door.

Hayden placed her hand over the button and looked to Dawn.

"You know, even as kids, I still loved you."

"I love you too, cuz," Dawn smiled, "But we're getting out of here."

Hayden slammed her hand down on the button and took off after Dawn, following her as her cousin lead her through a hallway that should lead outside.

"_Ten... nine.... eight..." _the automated voice counted down, and the sound could be heard through the winding corridor.

"Are we going to make it?" Hayden called to her cousin before there was a loud explosion.

Everything inside the Palace had been reduced to debris in a matter of seconds. Gem and Gemma reached the safe zone just in time to watch the place come crashing down.

Over on the other side of the Palace, Kaylee, the Old Rangers and the Robots saw the Palace coming down.


	72. The First Strike

Hayden woke up under a rather heavy pile of rubble. She couldn't tell how long she had been out, but the adrenaline rush from before had definitely wore off and she was beginning to feel cold once again. Her teeth were chattering as she pulled herself up and looked around.

"Dawn?" she called weakly, hoping her cousin hadn't been victim of the Palace explosion. However, judging by the distance they were running before the place went up, and the distance of the fallen debris now, chances were good that Dawn was crushed.

-----RPM-----

Samantha, Mike and Dillon got the other Rangers home safely. Kelly, Leanne, Dr. K and David were waiting to check up on them.

"You guys are freezing," Kelly frowned, making sure there was no one else before closing the door to the garage. She had no medical experience, so she left the healing to the doctors. Her job at the moment was to protect the garage from intruders. Already there had been banging at the door.

"They were in the freezer," Samantha explained.

"Mama!" Engel giggled, wobbling over to her mother, happy to see her again. Mike grabbed the little girl before she could reach Samantha and kissed her on the cheek.

"I thought I was never going to see you again," he told her, holding her up so they were looking at each other, "I love you, Angel."

Engel smiled, grabbing a chunk of Mike's hair in her fist and pulling.

"Love too," she said.

Samantha grabbed her out of Mike's arms before the cold from his hands could seep through her clothes and make her uncomfortable. She set the child down and smiled

"Once you guys warm up we'll pull the other Rangers out," she said, "No use in having them fight your battle."

"They could break something," Dillon nodded, smirking.

Leanne rolled her eyes as she draped a large blanket over his shoulders to warm him, "You should be ready for action by the time they get back."

David wrapped a blanket around his daughter and smiled at her, "I missed you."

"Dad, what's going on with you and mom?" Dani asked, "She told me she wanted to apologize next time she saw you."

David could only smile as he wrapped her in his arms, "It's nothing."

"If I stayed in prison for the two weeks, would I have come back to both of you?" Dani asked.

"Don't ask that question, Dani," David frowned, "Of course..."

Dani looked up at her father with a knowing look. He couldn't lie to her anymore.

"Things got pretty tense between your mother and me," he said, "But I would never give up on her and on our family."

Dr. K turned her screen around to show the others, "I've completed the city scan for Venjix hardware. About 50% of the population is now under Tenaya 15's control.

"50?" Summer frowned. Dr. K nodded, "Great, so not only do we have to worry about them, but we've got to take T15 down. I'm pretty sure she'll be coming after us now that her Palace has blown up."

"You guys keep the fight in the wastelands," Kelly said, "You won't have to worry about hybrids while you're out there. You leave the city to us."

"What are you guys going to do?" Mike asked.

"When your parents get back, we'll fight to keep the hybrids away from the garage. At least that way they can't interfere with your work."

"What about the civilians?" Summer frowned, "Not everyone's infected!"

"We can't protect everyone," Kelly answered, "Hopefully there will be enough men in the military to keep an eye on civilians."

"They wanted work," Flynn shrugged.

"Dr. K, where are the others?" Leanne asked the doctor.

"Out in the wastes, still," she answered. "With four Venjix readings."

"T15 and her brainwashed side-kicks," Scott added.

"Speaking of Tenaya, has anyone seen Dawn?" Ziggy said, looking around and noticing that they were one short.

-----RPM-----

When Dawn woke up she saw nothing but darkness.

"Oh, c'mon," she groaned, waiting for her body to respond so she could get to her feet, "I was brainwashed when I was the evil villain. It's not my fault I don't deserve heaven. One more chance, I promise."

Suddenly, the darkness was removed and light spilled into the little space Dawn was lying in, blinding the young girl for a moment.

"Whoa," she said, covering her eyes with her hands.

"You're alive!"

"I'm..." Dawn was grabbed by a friendly pair of hands and pulled into a loving bear hug.

"You did it!"

"Hayden?" Dawn could finally see, even with the blinding light, and noticed it was her cousin hugging her. She laughed as she pulled away from the pink Ranger slightly.

"Well, how do you do?"

"Cold," Hayden nodded, "But I'm fine. You're the one who doesn't heal, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dawn smiled, "Did it work?"

"The explosion? Yeah it worked. The palace is gone. The only thing left of it is little chunks of metal here and there."

"We should head back then," Dawn said, steadying herself on her feet. Hayden's hand rested on the small of her back until she was positive Dawn could stand on her own, "You still need to be looked at for hypothermia."

"I'll be fine," Hayden assured the other girl, but Dawn shook her head.

"You almost died," she said, "I'm not taking my chances. Not before the big finale. We'll need the team at full strength."

"The parents should still be in the wastes," Hayden sighed, giving up on trying to change Dawn's mind. She was stubborn. "We can catch up to them and we'll all go back to the Garage and meet up with the others."

"Sounds like a plan," Dawn nodded.

"But just one thing," Hayden said before they started on their journey back, "I know you've got something with that clone of yours, but wait until it's the final battle. Don't let her get to you until we're back with the team."

"As long as you don't go beating up the Samuels," Dawn nodded.

-----RPM-----

T15 screamed loudly as she looked onto the place where her Palace once stood. What would have been the center of her empire was now reduced to rubble.

She turned her attention to the blonde standing a few feet away.

"You," she hissed, advancing on Kaylee, "You're the cause of this."

Kaylee nodded, "A lot of people have been telling me that recently," she said, "I've caused a lot of things."

T15 growled, "Seize her!"

"Whoa!" Kaylee cried, jumping back from the three robots trying to grab her, "The hell?"

"Mom!" Hayden called, running past T15 with Dawn and meeting up with the older Rangers. Hayden grabbed her mother's arm, tugging her in the direction of the cities while Dawn grabbed her uncle. "C'mon! We can't fight them yet!"

T15 raised her arm, pointing it at her prey. Kaylee looked back for a moment to see T15's blaster aimed at her.

T15 shot before anyone could knock her down, just missing Kaylee and Hayden, but hitting the ground behind them, sending them soaring through the skies. Kaylee grabbed her daughter while still in the air, and placed herself between Hayden and the ground. The mother and daughter landed on the ground just as the others ran by them.

"Are you guys okay?" Tori asked, helping her sister and niece to their feet. Kaylee nodded and looked to her daughter.

"I'm fine," Hayden answered.

"C'mon!" Ronny called after running back to T15 and knocking her down before returning with the other Rangers, "Let's go."

H-07 looked to his master, "Want us to go after her?"

"No," T15 answered, turning her back to the Rangers, "We're going after everything. Salvage the Grinders who weren't completely destroyed. Rebuild them with upgrades. I want the Rangers and the two cities dead before the New Year."

"You heard her," H-07 called as he turned to the Samuels, "We've got a little over two weeks to prepare the final assault."

"It looks like we're working over Christmas," Mrs. Samuels groaned.

"We don't celebrate Christmas," T15 said, "However, we will celebrate once I take over this pathetic planet."

-----RPM-----

"Incoming!" Kelly yelled throwing the Garage door open so the remaining Rangers could quickly run in before the hybrids attacked. One hybrid managed to get past the Garage door coming down, but Kelly grabbed him and tossed him back outside before the door was shut tight.

"Are Gem and Gemma back?" was the first thing out of Kaylee's mouth. She needed to be sure everyone was home safe before they moved on with anything.

"Present!" the twins called, saluting the mentor. Kaylee breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy everyone was still alive.

"How's the team?" Tori asked.

"Not shivering anymore," Scott smiled, "I think we're good to go back."

"Hold on one minute," Dr. K said, frowning at her computer screen, "T15 and her army are returning to the Palace."

"Or what's left of it," Hayden grinned, high-fiving her cousin.

"She's not coming into the city?" Summer asked.

Dr. K shook her head and checked her monitors one more time, "Negative."

"Perfect," Flynn smirked, "We'll attack them before they're ready to do anything else!"

"We can't do that," Mike frowned, "It'll take us some time to get to the Palace, and who knows why they're going back. It could be to fool us."

"Are you saying we need to wait?" Dillon asked, "Because that sounds stupid. What if they're preparing for a huge ass fight?"

"Dillon's right, we need to cut them off."

"No," Kaylee said, "Dr. K can monitor what they're doing, right?"

Dr. K nodded, "I can't get a visual, but I can track their systems from my computer. Any upgraded they get, I should be able to follow, and hopefully exceed with your Ranger suits."

"So, we're sitting and waiting for this to end?" Scott asked.

"Yep," Kaylee said, "We'll deal with the hybrids."

"I haven't got a serum for them yet," Dr. K said, "We can't take out the hardware."

"I guess we gotta do this the old fashion way," Hayden smirked, "Scott, you know your way through the control tower, right?"

"Like the back of my hand," Scott nodded.

"Good. And Dani said that Hicks was hybrid?"

"Reason I broke out of jail," Daniela nodded before remembering Tiny and Giggles were waiting in the Garage for her, "Where did my friends go?"

"We sent them to the kitchen," Leanne answered, "We were doing a lot of private business and we didn't want to risk them spilling it."

"Good choice," Daniela smiled. She trusted Tiny, but it was Giggles who she was worried about. Though the excited prisoner probably meant well, even when committing her crimes, she did tend to jump right into things. A lot like Dani before she met Greg and started to calm down.

"But Tiny said he needed to talk to you when you got back," Leanne added, "He wanted you to know the truth, just in case something happened."

"The truth?" Tiny frowned.

"Go talk to him," Kaylee smiled, "We'll deal with things back here."

"So we're waiting for T15 to come and blow our cities up?" Ziggy asked, returning back to the topic before.

"No, we're waiting for her to fall into our own trap. Dr. K will monitor her upgrades and will keep your suits updated to her upgrades. We'll stay one step ahead of her at all times. If you guys go out into the waste, communication will be harder. We might miss something. As soon as T15 hits the barricades, we'll send you guys out."

"Goodbyes part two, I guess," Summer sighed. She remembered how hard it was to imagine never coming home. She didn't want to have that feeling again.

"Yep," Kaylee nodded, "But this time, I'm keeping a close eye on all of you. Especially little miss pregnancy scare."

Summer bit her lower lip, averting her gaze from her Aunt and mother.

"Won't make that mistake again," she nodded.

"Stick to goodbye kiss, and I won't tell your father," Kira frowned.

"That goes for all of you," Kaylee added, looking each team member in the eyes, "I don't care if you may never see your loved one again. It stays in the pants."

"Aunt K, we're grown Rangers," Mike frowned, "You can't..."

"Do you really want to have this conversation?" Kaylee smirked, "Because, I would be fine with it, after we have a long talk about sex, STD, pregnancy and the responsibility that comes with taking that next step."

Mike, Summer and Hayden's eyes widened. They had received the talk from Kaylee before. It wasn't something they wanted to hear, especially when Kaylee used real life experiences as a scare tactic. It didn't really help the trio bond as a family when images of the night Hayden was conceived was burned into their brains.

"And this time, I have a lot more mothers with me to share in this experience. Tori, care to tell these kids about the night you and Blake created Mike."

"It was around this time of year," Tori started, "Blake and I were keeping warm by the fire as we watched Christmas...."

"NO!" Mike shouted, covering his ears, "I give! We'll stay old fashioned! Just please, don't tell them this story!"

"Good," Kaylee nodded, "Because I really don't want to hear how Blake got my sister pregnant. It's a horror story for me as well."

"C-C'mon guys," Hayden called, pulling her team to the main room of the Garage, "Let's go somewhere else... maybe train for a little while."

"Anything to get away from them," Summer nodded, taking off out the door and the others followed suit.

Kaylee smirked, "I should have done that last time. Maybe to get Dillon off Summer I'll have Lily tell him about the night she was made."

"Ew," Lily shivered, trying to get the image of Kira and Conner out of her head, "I've yet to forget."

Kelly rolled her eyes at the nonsense before leaning over Dr. K to check up on the work.

"What's it looking like, Doc?"

"So far I'm picking up small energy signals coming from the wastes. It seems T15 is creating her own army."

"I'll work on dividing the Rangers into two different teams. One for T15 and the generals, and another for the army."

"Include Dawn and Samantha in the count," Dr. K said, "The Rangers are going to need all the help they can get."


	73. The Master Plan

New Years was coming up quickly and the Rangers were doing anything but getting ready for a big party. Tenaya 15, H-07, and the Samuels were still weighing heavily on their minds. It had been a couple of weeks with no sign on any kind of attack and Kaylee was beginning to think she made the wrong call. The longer T15 waited for her attack, the more time she had to prepare. Of course, Rebecca was hard at work, almost night and day, trying to keep up with the upgrades the enemy was receiving. Kelly would check up on her every so often and would tell Kaylee that things were looking good.

Daniela, Tiny and Giggles were back in the prison, with Daniela and Tiny returned home today. Tiny had confessed his crime to Daniela on the day she returned from the Palace. Basically, he had been a bully. His size had been an issue for him since he was a teenager. He had been taunted endlessly through high school because he was easily the biggest student in the school, when he was only in his freshman year. This lead him to become angry, and by the time he graduated, he had bullied half the school and had beaten up many of the smaller kids to make himself feel more powerful and to earn a lot more respect. Daniela understood how that could lead him to crime, but she didn't understand how bullying could lead a minor to spending years in prison.

Tiny explained even more, saying that after graduation, he walked the streets alone, mugging anyone he saw. He liked the pick on the small kids because they feared him, and because he was one of the biggest men in the city, he could pick on anyone he wanted. He explained that he landed a total of eighty-seven people in the hospital in critical condition and got into an average of eleven fights a week.

Finally, he told Daniela that if she had met him before he wound up in prison; he wouldn't have had any mercy for her. He probably would have killed her on the spot just because she was small. When Daniela asked him why he changed, he told her that once arriving in prison, he noticed how mess up life could become. He witnessed many people walking into prison with no hope of survival, and they were bullied because the big man on campus, King, would deem them too small to survive. No one bothered to pick on him in the prison, so he felt no need to get involved with anyone.

When Daniela arrived, Tiny noticed she looked scared. She had the courage to stand up for herself, but she had a look that hit Tiny right at home. She was the embodiment of the people he used to pick on: small, scared, alone. He made it his mission to redeem himself by protecting her from harm as long as she remained in the prison.

Daniela took this conversation to her Aunt, explaining to Kaylee how Tiny was no longer the man Corinth city arrested and he didn't deserve to be in prison. Kaylee brought his case to the council, and they all agreed that prison had accomplished its goal with Tiny, and he didn't need to remain in behind bars for the remainder of his sentence. Of course, once the city was back to normal (without hybrids) someone would be assigned to watch him day and night for a period of two years.

Ronny and David had also had a long talk about the events that happened. Ronny apologized to David for taking her stress out on him, and called off the plans for divorce. Then, the couple sat down with Dani to explain everything that had gone on, and David, for Ronny and Dani's sake, told Dani how much he loved her, and that by taking Kaylee's side, he was only trying to keep hope alive in the family that everything would work.

To help patch up the Marks family, Kaylee offered Ronny and David time off while Daniela was still in prison so they could enjoy a little alone time. (Now Kaylee was expecting another niece of nephew in the near future; sadly for her, David and Ronny planned ahead).

Aside from that, no real changes had been made to the RPM family. Daniela, Samantha and Engel had a joint birthday party. Daniela's birthday was December 14th, with Samantha's and Engel's supposed birthday soon after on the 17th (No one knew when Engel's birthday was, so they placed it on the most convenient and easy to remember day).

By now, everyone was in bed, aside from Rebecca. She was too busy monitoring T15's upgrade to fall asleep.

Suddenly, the door to the lab made a loud, thunderous noise. Rebecca looked away from her work to the monitor that was keeping track of T15's position.

"Ranger base?" she frowned before the door was blasted open. T15 walked in with an army of Grinders. The little machines grabbed Dr. K and pulled her over to T15.

"You've been tracking me," T15 smirked, "Did you think I wouldn't notice? Even with the Palace down, I've still got all of Corinth's city computer systems in my head."

"So I guess that means you know I accidentally blew up the microwave yesterday while making popcorn," Ziggy growled, leaning against the broken door. He had been awoken by the door coming down and decided to check up on Dr. K.

"Oh boy," Rebecca frowned, rolling her eyes. She loved Ziggy, but she knew he wasn't the best choice when it came to saving her... or anyone.

"What?" Ziggy asked, looking at his girlfriend, "Why do you always give me that look. I thought we agreed that once we started dating, I would stop pestering you about how much you like me, and you would stop giving me that look!"

T15 sighed, "Cute. Take them both to the command center."

"Command center?' Ziggy frowned, "But Colonel Truman..."

"Don't worry about him," T15 said before pointing her blaster at Ziggy and shooting. He didn't have enough time to duck out of the way and was sent flying into the wall.

"ZIGGY!" Dr. K yelled, breaking free of the Grinder's hold on her as he rushed to Ziggy. She placed a hand on his chest as he tried to get up. Suddenly, the Grinders were back on top of them, pulling them apart and pulling them to their feet.

Ziggy tried using his strength to rip them apart, but T15 brought her hand down just below the neck with enough force to knock him out.

"Don't hurt him!" Rebecca shouted, but quickly found it was useless. The Grinders slapped on a large pair of handcuffs to her and Ziggy that would definitely hold even with his super strength. They were carried out of the Garage before anyone else could wake up.

T15 stayed behind, looking at the empty lab. It held off of the Ranger data. With it, she could control everything they owned, from Ranger suits, to Ranger weapons, and even the Zords.

She removed the top part of her index finger, revealing a USB that allowed her to plug into the computers and download the information. When that was done, she planted a small device under Dr. K's desk and set the timer for thirty minutes.

-----RPM-----

As usual, Kaylee was the first one awake. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen to begin working on breakfast for the entire Ranger family when her eyes caught the door to the lab.

"Dr. K?" she called softly, slowing stepping into the other room. She had heard a few noises last night, but assumed it was just Ziggy getting up to go to the bathroom and missing the door like usual.

As soon as she stepped foot into the lab though, she realised she had been wrong. Very wrong.

"Rebecca?" she called again as she began to search the lab. Suddenly, she heard a beeping. Kaylee didn't need to be told what it to know she was better off running. Just as she passed the door, the beeping sped up and suddenly the entire laboratory was up in flames as pieces of debris shot out from every angle. Kaylee ducked behind the counter to avoid getting hit.

When the shower of debris started to die, Kaylee took off, running to her sister's room. She didn't bother to knock as she ran right up to her sister's bed, jumping on top of the older girl.

Tori was awake in a matter of seconds.

"Kaylee, let me sleep."

"Boy you're a heavy sleeper," Kaylee muttered, shaking her to prevent her from falling back asleep.

"When living with you, you get used to sleeping through anything. Ask anyone here."

"Did you not hear the lab blow up into a billion pieces?"

Tori's eyes shot open.

"I went downstairs this morning to make breakfast and the lab exploded on me!"

"Are you okay?" Tori asked, checking her sister for any signs of injury. Even after twenty years, Tori still felt the need to look after her baby sister.

"I'm fine," Kaylee nodded, "I got out in time, but I'm worried Rebecca didn't. You have to help me put out the fire!"

Tori threw the covers off and followed her sister downstairs. The Rangers and the rest of the family were already up, looking at the lab in curiosity.

"Mom, what happened?" Samantha asked as Kaylee and Tori ran past. Tori grabbed Mike, knowing he could help put out the flames.

"I don't know," Kaylee answered, "Just keep Engel away from the fire."

Samantha tightened her grip on her squirming daughter who wanted to discover what the light coming from the lab was.

Hayden, knowing her mother, Aunt and cousin would need a source of water to manipulate so they could put out the flames, ran to the kitchen sink and turned on the tap.

Kaylee, Tori and Mike pulled the water from the tap, creating what they could and dowsing the flames. As soon as it was safe, Kaylee went inside.

"Becca?" she called, tossing the debris aside. She hoped she didn't find the young doctor, but at the same time, if she didn't that meant Rebecca would be somewhere else.

"Who could have done this?" Scott asked, following his mentor into the lab. Kaylee pulled him in closer to her so she could keep an eye on him. She didn't want him accidentally stepping on a flame that had yet to be put out.

Tori ducked under a fallen support beam and her foot brushed against something sharp. She picked it up and examined it.

"What's this?" she asked. Gem and Gemma appeared behind her, on either side and gem snatched the device from her hand.

"It looks like an explosive," he said. "It's still intact."

"Pretty strong material," Gemma added.

"Well, they say karma's a bitch," Hayden sighed, turning to her mother, "We blew up their base, they take out ours."

"Where's Ziggy?" Flynn asked, looking around for the L-Green Ranger, but finding no sign of him.

"Was he in his bed?" Dustin asked.

"He wasn't," Flynn said, "We didn't notice he wasn't with us either."

All of a sudden the ground began to shake. Everyone grabbed onto what they could to keep from falling over.

Dustin jumped over the debris and ran to the garage to look out a window. He spotted the Ranger's Megazord's bringing destruction to the city. He rubbed his eyes as he turned back to the lab. The Rangers were stumbling out; it couldn't have been them piloting the Zords.

"What's going on?" Kaylee asked, making it to the window. Dustin reached out to her, holding her up as the ground continued to shake from the chaos in the city.

"I think T15 did a little more than blow up the lab," Dustin told her, pointing to the Megazords.

"The hybrids are a problem as well," Kaylee said. She noticed all the hybrids storming around the city, patrolling the area for any signs of life.

Kaylee turned to her oldest sister, "Dr. K was working on a cure for the hybrids, right?"

Kelly nodded, "She was, but it wasn't completed."

"Do you know where the serum is?" Kaylee asked.

"It was in the lab," Kelly said, "Good luck finding it now."

"Well, if we destroy T15, wouldn't we destroy all her systems?" Hayden asked, "She's still got a handle on everything. She must be able to control the computers and hybrids from that fat head of hers."

"Hey, watch it," Dawn frowned.

"You know what I mean," Hayden laughed, "But really, if we destroy her, we won't have to worry about the hybrids, right?"

"We'll have to assume so," Kaylee nodded, "In the meantime Kelly you've been working close with Dr. K. Do you know her team plans for this final battle?"

Kelly shook her head sadly, "I didn't think of asking her. It didn't seem like that was the important thing to memorize."

"Good thing you have us here," Gemma grinned, "We'll go find Dr. K. You guys just have to worry about..."

"... Rampaging Megazords, deadly hybrids and T15 and her generals," Gem finished.

"Is that all?" Dillon frowned, "Are you sure you don't want to include rescuing civilians?"

"Oh, that too," Gemma nodded, "Don't worry, we'll be back soon!"

-----RPM-----

When Ziggy woke up he found himself inside a truck. The back of the truck was blocked off by a gate that was obviously put there to hold him inside.

"Ziggy!" Rebecca smiled, seeing the Green Ranger waking up, "Thank goodness! I thought you were dead."

"Not quite," Ziggy said, "But my neck and head are killing me!"

"That's from T15," Rebecca explained, "Do you think you can get us out of here?"

Ziggy finally noticed the cuffs holding his hands in place. He tried pulling them apart, but his strength wasn't enough to break them.

He decided to try another way. He reached up, grabbing a pin from Dr. K's hair. Carefully, he manoeuvred the pin into the lock and began twisting it. Dr. K watched in awe as his cuffs fell off.

"How did you..."

"Who knew all my experience wearing handcuffs would come in handy?" Ziggy smirked. He did the with Dr. K's cuffs, freeing her hands.

"Voilà," he grinned, grabbing her wrist to massage it, knowing that cuffs could be a little rough.

"Merci beaucoup," Dr. K smiled.

"Now what?" Ziggy asked.

"You mean you don't know?"

"Do I have to think of everything?" Ziggy asked.

Dr. K rolled her eyes, "Now we call the other Rangers and let them know T15's back in the city."

"Right," Ziggy nodded, bringing his morpher to his mouth. "Is anyone there?"

"_Ziggy? Is that you?"_

"Gemma?"

"_And Gem!"_

"_We're coming to save Dr. K! Is she..._

"_... with you?"_

Ziggy looked to Dr. K and nodded, "Yeah, she's with me."

"_Good, where are you?"_

"You can track us using Ziggy's morpher," Rebecca told them, "We're in a transport vehicle."

"_We've got a lock!"_

"_You're near the command center!"_

"_Hey, so are we!"_

"_We're right on top of you!"_

There was a loud clank coming from the top of the truck before the gate fell over and the twin's heads bobbed down from the top.

"C'mon," Gem whispered, "No one knows we're here."

Ziggy and Dr. K followed their friends, climbing to the top of the truck. Gem and Gemma led them into the command center, hoping it would be safe.

Unfortunately, they ran into a few hybrids who quickly grabbed the four. Gem and Gemma, knowing it was their job to rescue Dr. K, and Ziggy by association, freed themselves from the hybrids in order to save Dr. K and Ziggy!

"Run!" Gemma yelled as the hybrids once again grabbed the twins, "We'll be okay!"

Ziggy nodded, wanting to protect his girlfriend. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in the opposite direction. Dr. K looked back as H-07 appeared.

"What's this?" he smirked, "Two Ranger allies? This should be interesting."

Dr. K didn't see the rest, because Ziggy pulled her around the corner, but she heard Gem and Gemma screaming frantically as a white light shone through the hallways.

"Teleport!" Ziggy shouted, pressing the button on his morpher and teleporting back to the base.

-----RPM-----

When Ziggy and Dr. K appeared back in the base, the Rangers and mentors were still standing there, debating their next move. With so much to fight against, and risks so high, they couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

Dr. K ran to her lab to look at the damage done as Ziggy jumped into the argument going on between Scott and Flynn. Kaylee was already in the middle of it, trying to break them up.

"T15's already got control of all our Megazords and every hybrid in the city, and she hasn't even gotten started yet!" Flynn shouted.

"Well we can't just do nothing!" Scott screamed. Engel looked from her uncle to her future step-father on the verge of tears. "We have to fight!"

"We will fight," Summer assured her leader, "We just need to figure out what to do first! T15's untouchable as long as all the hybrids and generals are still activated."

"And we can't shut off the hybrids unless we get to T15," Hayden added.

"It's an endless circle of doom!" Flynn nodded.

Dr. K walked back into the room with a look of dread on her face. She held a keyboard in one hand and a computer memory panel in the other.

Kaylee immediately ran to the doctor's side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's hopeless," Dr. K whispered, looking up at Kaylee, "T15's hacked the systems."

"How do you know?" Kaylee asked. Dr. K looked up at Kaylee with a knowing gaze. Kaylee's jaw dropped and she nodded.

"Right," she said, "What does this mean?"

"The Rangers won't be able to morph."

"Why not?" Samantha asked.

"T15 downloaded the bio-field matrix. When you morph, your molecular structure is aligned with the field."

"So?" Dani asked.

"So, to put it simply, T15 will kill you as soon as you morph," Dr. K explained.

Daniela whimpered slightly, pulling away, "Simply don't mean scare shitless. Can't we erase her hard drive?"

"No," Greg frowned, "It would be too big."

"Told you she had a fat head," Hayden muttered.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Dawn frowned, "We can't attack T15 because she's protected by the hybrids and the generals. We can't take out the generals and hybrids because there are too many and they would kill us before we could make a move. We also can't morph because it would be a suicide attempt... how the hell are we supposed to fight now?"

"Well, Venjix is a virus, right?" Kaylee asked, "He's like any other computer virus. Can't we take him down like that?"

"The best way to fight a virus is with another virus!" Dr. K nodded.

"There's no way we can access T15's systems," Greg frowned, "She's basically a mobile ass-kicking computer."

"H-07!" Mike smirked, "He can get in close. If they weren't emotionless computers I would have said they were in love."

"I can go in," Scott said, "I can shape-shift to look like H-07 and plant the virus into her systems."

"One problem," Dr. K frowned, "H-07's already destroyed Gem and Gemma. While Ziggy and I were in the command center, he showed up. They took him on, but..."

"There was a white light," Ziggy explained, knowing that sharing the information of her best friends' death would be difficult for the doctor. "Gem and Gemma screamed then it all went silent. We disappeared before we could check for them, but I'm positive they did something."

"This just complicates everything!" Kaylee groaned, throwing her hands in the air before leaning against her desk, "Now we have no idea where Gem and Gemma are."

"Even if Gem and Gemma aren't dead, they aren't back yet," Samantha said, "Something's happened to them, and it only took one robot to take them both down. If Scott goes in there alone, and T15 figures him out, who knows what'll happen to him."

Scott smiled sadly at his fiancée. He could tell she was scared for him.

"And with no more computers we can't scan the systems to see if maybe H-07 uploaded them into cyberspace. Nor will we be able to monitor Scott in case something happens," Kaylee frowned.

"You guys don't have a computer system," Kira smirked, "But NewTech does!"

"If you bring NewTech's computers into this, T15 might infect them as well, downloading all of SPD's information. With that, she can take down both cities in a matter of seconds," Dr. K warned the former Dino Ranger. Kira shook her head.

"It's the only option we have so far," she said, "Kaylee, open the shields, let me, and only me, back into NewTech. From there I'll open up the systems between my city and yours. I'll search the cyber space for the twins and I'll give you the go-ahead to send Scott in."

"You'll need to create a virus," Dr. K informed her, "One powerful enough to destroy T15's hard drive."

"Once T15 falls, the other robots should. Then we'll just have to fight T15 and her army," Greg smiled.

"They'll still be kicking?" Dani groaned, "Can't they die?"

"Uploading the virus into T15's system will interrupt the signal between her and the hybrids, saving all those people and taking a problem off our hands."

"Two problems," Dawn smirked, "Leave T15 to me. I want to be the one to destroy my clone."

"If we're calling robots, I want to take out H-07," Mike said, "No one kidnaps and manipulates my girlfriend and tries to kidnap my daughter, only to take my cousin and gets away with it. He's as good as dead once I get my hands on him."

Hayden and Summer exchanged smirks, "We call the Samuels," Hayden said.

"We still need to kick their asses for even thinking about taking our brother away," Summer finished.

"It sounds like a plan," Kaylee nodded, "Kira, let us know when you've open the systems."

"How will you create the virus?" Dr. K asked.

Kira smirked, "I had my own team, remember? And every team comes with its own computer whiz."

"Cam," Leanne smiled, "Hey, mind telling my husband I say hi and that I'm not dead. I think last he and Maddie heard I had been shot five times."

Kira laughed, "I'll be sure to let him know."


	74. Tenaya

Kaylee waited impatiently, tapping her foot on the ground as she clutched her communicator in her hands. Kira should have called by now with news of the virus that was going to disable T15 and the army.

Hayden sighed, stepping over to her mother. Kaylee looked up slowly at her daughter.

"A watched morpher never goes off," Hayden whispered, taking the communicator out of her mother's hands.

"I want all this to be over with," Kaylee sighed, "I want you kids to live a normal life."

Kaylee eyed every Ranger on the team, "All of you."

"Well, this isn't a normal life," Scott said, getting up from his seat and walking over to Kaylee and Hayden. He wrapped his arms around his future sister in-law as he smiled up at Kaylee, "But it's the life we've all wanted to have. I wanted to make my father proud. I wanted to show him that I could be just as good as my brother. I've finally earned that respect from him. Because I'm a Ranger, I'm showing my father everyday that I am good enough."

"And all I wanted to do was help people," Flynn nodded, "I've done that. If you ask me, I've done more than that. I've rescued children, saved lived and fought evil robots. Of course, I'm still trying to make a smoothie that I can actually enjoy, but that will come later."

Kaylee chuckled, remembering Flynn's countless attempts at a relaxing night with a smoothie in hand. Unfortunately, every time he tried, something got in the way that kept him from finishing his smoothie.

"And I've found myself," Dillon nodded, "And the person I was looking for before I met you guys. That's all I wanted. Kicking ass, well, that was just a bonus."

Ziggy shrugged, "I guess I just wanted a family," he said, "People who accepted me for who I was. I never knew my parents and I guess I'll never know them... but I don't have too. They didn't want me. Why should I want them? And anyways, I already have a mom."

"I guess, we all do," Scott smiled as he looked to Flynn, Dillon and Ziggy. Neither one had a mother.

Kaylee started to tear as she looked at the team. She pulled Hayden and Scott in a hug with one arm, and grabbed Ziggy in with the other. Summer, Flynn, Dillon, Mike, Greg and Dani joined to create a big group hug.

Suddenly, the communicator beeped.

"_Kaylee, the virus has been created and Cam's opening up the computer systems over here so you can access them in Corinth. It'll still be dangerous for the Rangers to morph until T15's been infected, but at least now we can do something aside from sitting on our asses."_

Kaylee chuckled, "Thanks, Kira."

Scott pulled away from the hug and his team followed.

"C'mon, guys. It's take down time."

"Cheesy line!" Hayden yelled, "I lead!"

-----RPM-----

"Okay, so Dawn, Mike, Summer and I will deal with the T15 and the Generals, the rest of you should work on keeping those stupid hybrids at bay," Hayden ordered as the team of ten entered the center of the city, hoping T15 would spot them and come out from her hiding spot.

"Why do we get the hybrids?" Dani whined, "I want to kick some robot ass!"

"Once the hybrids have been deactivated we'll join you guys," Scott said, "It'll take more than one person to knock out T15 for good."

"Is that a challenge?" Dawn smirked.

"Well, well," T15 chuckled, appearing a few feet away from the Rangers with an army of hybrids and her generals behind her, "Look who's finally decided to come out and play. What happened, Rangers? Life getting boring? You know, when you're a robot, you'll never have to worry about boredom again."

Hayden growled, "Oh yeah, well, you're stupid!"

"Good comeback, Hay," Samantha groaned, "You've always been the charismatic one in the family."

"It's a good comeback because it's true," Hayden smirked. She brought her morpher to her mouth, "Aunt Kira, how's the virus upload coming along?"

"_A few more minutes. Mind a little battle with hybrids?"_

"That's my cue," Scott smirked, "You guys ready?"

"There's no morphing, just go," Dani said, bouncing past Scott and running into action as she grabbed a fallen piece of debris from the Megazord rampage to use as a sword. She swung it around, connecting with a female hybrid's legs, sending her to the ground. Because they were still partly human, and the Rangers didn't want any blood on their hands, they didn't want to kill the hybrids. But thankfully Dani picked up on a few tricks while visiting her father at work in her childhood. She knew the right spots on the human body that would cause anyone to pass out.

"One down, some hundred more to go," Dani smirked, "This should be easy."

With the plan in motion, Scott led the Rangers into battle. It was up to him, Flynn, Summer, Dillon, Ziggy, Sam and Greg to knock the hybrids down while Dani sped around the battlefield, getting the pressure points to take them out of the game.

Mike charged to H-07, stopping when he was only a short distance away.

"It's you and me," he growled, "Time for my revenge."

"How's the girlfriend?" H-07 asked tauntingly, "Don't feel bad if she hasn't been the same since she's been with me. As soon as she realises I was the better man, I'm sure she'll set you free."

Mike eyes narrowed as his determination to wipe H-07 off the planet grew.

"How could you be a better man?" he asked, "You're not even human."

"Doesn't matter," H-07 grinned, "I did a little research on your family: T15's orders. And I found out that your uncle wasn't human when he fell in love with his wife. I guess, when it comes down to it, as long as you're hot, the girls dig you."

"You're not hot," Mike frowned, "You're a selfish, emotionless, uncaring and undeserving little shit."

"H-07," the robot smirked, "Why do you think T15 named me that? Think of what the numbers look like. H-O-T."

Mike roared, charging back into battle as he delivered a powerful blow to H-07's face, knocking him to the ground. The D-Green Ranger stood over his opponent with a smirk.

"That first one was for my girlfriend," he said, "And it doesn't matter what you say. I love her, and I know she loves me. You're just the painful memory that's going to haunt her every night. So I thank you."

"Thank me?" H-07 asked, rubbing his jaw as he got back to his feet, "Why do you thank me?"

"For giving me the opportunity to show the women I love how much I care about her," Mike explained, "Because I will stand by her side until you're no longer a thought in her mind. Not only am I going to destroy you, but I'm going to erase you from the face of the planet, one nightmare at a time."

Mike delivered another powerful blow to H-07's ribs.

"Oh, and that was for my daughter," he smirked, "She's doing well, by the way. She celebrated her first birthday not to long ago. She's alive and healthy, and for that, I thank you."

Mike jumped up, swinging his leg around, connected with H-07's head.

"I sat by her bedside when she was recovering, and I had the chance to bond with her. Now, even though Scott's going to take the father role in her life, she's always going to know I love her and that she means the world to me."

Summer and Hayden were on the other side of the battlefield, squaring off with the Samuels. No words were exchanged between the four. Summer grabbed Mr. Samuels' arm, twisting it behind his back to hold him in place as Hayden flew up from underground and knocked the robotic man into the skies. Mrs. Samuels appeared behind the Pink Ranger, grabbing her hair and pulling her back.

"Hey, bitch!" Summer yelled. Hayden quickly covered her ears as her body tensed, preparing for what was coming next. Summer's body thrust forward as a loud scream came from her mouth. Both Hayden and Mrs. Samuels were thrown backwards and skidded across the pavement. Summer ran to Hayden's side, helping her cousin up while Mr. Samuels fell from the sky, landing next to his wife.

"Ouch," Hayden winced playfully, "That fall's gotta hurt, even for a robot. Too bad you don't heal spontaneously."

"Doesn't matter," Mr. Samuels grunted, trying to pick himself up, "I don't feel pain."

"Neither did I," Hayden giggled, "But when I got up, my arm came with me."

Mr. Samuels frowned, looking down and seeing his arm still resting beside his wife. She was staring at it in horror.

"I don't need it to defeat you girls," Mr. Samuels threatened. Summer shrugged. She picked up the arm.

"Mind if we use it then?" she asked while fiddling with the inside of the arm. She poked one of the nerves, and a blaster appeared, replacing the hand. "Ohh, dibs!"

Hayden frowned, "No fair! I threw him into the air! I should get the cool arm blaster!"

Summer pulled the new toy away from her cousin, "No, it's mine."

Hayden reached to grab it and in the struggle she accidentally set the blaster off. Fortunately for her and Summer, the hand was pointing at the Samuels. They screamed as they were shot back a few feet and their plastic flesh was torn off in some places.

Summer and Hayden grinned, high-fiving.

Mr. Samuels jumped to his feet and rushed to the two girls. Hayden reacted quickly, grabbing the arm from her cousin. As she did, the hand passed right by Mr. Samuels' face, effectively slapping him away.

Dawn wasn't enjoying her battle against T15 as much as Hayden and Summer were with the Samuels.

"Where are Gem and Gemma?" she asked, wiping the blood from her mouth as T15 stood over her.

T15 chuckled, pulling two little disks from her suit, "Gem and Gemma," she pointed to each disk, "They're right here."

"What did you do to them?"

"Trapped them inside a file where they'll live forever," T15 explained, "Sadly, I couldn't delete them because they weren't morphed, so I had H-07 settle for this. Effective, isn't it?"

"It's stupid!"

Dawn jumped up to throw herself on T15 but T15 grabbed her wrists, twisting Dawn around. She pressed her opponent closer, snaking one arm around her neck to hold her in still. T15 placed the two disks back in her suit and pulled out a small blaster.

"Is it really?" T15 asked. She pointed to the blaster to Dani, who just finished with the last hybrid and was regrouping with the rest of her team. "Right now, all my hybrids are gone, and you rangers outnumber me. But watch what this little stupid device can do."

T15 pulled the trigger and Dani was hit. She dropped to her knees, letting out a loud cry of pain as she began to glow white.

"Dani!" Greg shouted, running to his girlfriend. T15 fired again, hitting him. Before the others could react, she turned the blaster on them. One shot hit them all, and suddenly it was only Dawn, Mike, Summer and Hayden left fighting against T15, H-07 and the Samuels.

Mike grabbed H-07 by the collar, ramming him into a wall that had been left standing even with all the chaos in the city. He brought his knee into H-07's stomach and the robot doubled over in pain. Mike let him go only to grab his head by the hair and ran it into the wall.

H-07's head split, exposing the technology inside. Mike was no professional when it came to computers, but he didn't need to know what he was doing. He grabbed what he could and ripped it out.

H-07's body fell limp on the ground and Mike smashed the technology in his hand. The pieces dropped beside H-07 and Mike wiped his hands before suddenly glowing white.

Summer and Hayden shoved Mr. Samuels into his wife, sending the two to the ground before firing the arm blaster at them. The couple exploded into thousands of little pieces and the girls cheered. It didn't last long before they realised the other was glowing white.

"NO!" Dawn shrieked as her family and friends disappeared before her eyes and disks began falling where they once stood. T15 threw Dawn aside and collected them.

"Once I recreate the system, I can download these and delete those pesky Rangers," T15 smirked.

"_Virus uploaded. T15's been infected."_

"It's too late, Kira," Dawn frowned, "Hybrids are down, for now, but the Rangers are gone."

"_What?"_

"The Rangers are gone. There's no use," Dawn lowered her head in shame, ready to give up. There was no way she could handle T15 on her own. The plan was to stop the hybrids, and the others would come and help.

"_Dawn, it's not over,"_ Dr. K said, "_The virus will still infect the hybrids and it'll shut down the implants inside them. They'll be back to normal and will no longer get in your way. It'll also begin to work its magic on T15, shutting her down slowly."_

"_Dawn, we just need you to fight until that happens."_

"How long will it take?"

"Quite a while," T15 smirked, aiming the blaster at Dawn's head, "Maybe I'll keep you around, show the future empire where their leader comes from."

"_T15's right. It'll take some time for the virus to work its magic on her. Maybe a couple of minutes before her upgrades shut down. It's also possible that the virus isn't strong enough," Dr. K said._

T15 powered up her blaster.

"_Dawn, listen to me," _Kaylee started firmly, her voice coming through the communicator,_ "Systems are back up and running. T15's upgrades are slowly shutting down. She's losing hold on Corinth's systems meaning you can morph. You're not down and out just yet. You're still in it. You're still fighting! Maybe this virus won't kill her, but I know you can! C'mon, kid, whenever you talk about T15 you're threatening to kick her ass. Why won't you do it now! You have that chance! Take it! Be a hero!"_

T15 pulled on the trigger but Dawn jumped away, narrowly avoiding the white light. She clutched Kelly's morpher in her hand.

"How do you turn this thing on again?" she smirked.

"_Magical Source, Mystic Force,"_ Kaylee told her.

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Dawn shouted, activating the morpher and turning into the Pink Mystic Ranger. Once morpher, she looked to T15.

"You've evened out the odds," she said, "Now it's Tenaya 7 against Tenaya 15."

"The old against the new," T15 smirked, playing with the blaster, "When it comes to technology, doesn't that give me the unfair advantage?"

"I'm not a Venjix hybrid anymore," Dawn said, "I'm human, with a lot more power and determination to kick your ass and destroy you for good. That's something you can't recreate."

"Please," T15 scoffed, "I'm your clone. Anything you can do, I'm programmed to do."

"Anything I could do," Dawn corrected, "Ever since I became human, I learned a few new tricks."

"Like what?" T15 asked.

Dawn smirked, charging into battle, sending blow after blow. T15 parried them all before knocking Dawn back, but that didn't wipe the smile off Dawn's face. She lifted her hand, showing T15 the disks.

"Well, I met this guy. I think his name was Ziggy. He used to be a criminal. Now, he wasn't very good at it, but he was a pretty sneaky pickpocket if you ask me."

"So what?" T15 frowned, "Now that you have the Rangers, what are you going to do? Set them free and destroy me? I still have my blaster! I can send you all back inside the disks."

Dawn lifted her other hand, "You mean this blaster?"

T15's face dropped, "Drat."

"You know, clone. There's only room for one Tenaya on this planet," Dawn levelled the blaster for T15, "Any last words?"

"This isn't the end," T15 shouted, "I will come back. Even from a disk, I'll re-infect the entire planet, and I will end you."

"It's called a firewall," Dawn smirked, pulling the trigger. T15 screamed murder as her body began to glow and her technology began to mix with the disk the blaster was creating.

Dawn ran over, picking up the disk from the ground. She powered down and tucked the disk in her pocket.

Looking back at the blaster she began to examine it. There must have been a way to reverse what T15 had done to her friends.

Finding no way, Dawn settled on her knowledge of Venjix technology. She opened up the blaster and fiddled around with the wires before taking aim.

"Here goes everything," she said, wincing as she took the shot.

"That was..."

"...AWESOME!" she heard and she opened her eyes to see Gem and Gemma standing in the middle of the group of Rangers, eyes wide.

"Welcome to cyberspace," the twins smirked, high-fiving.

"You know you could have died in there," Greg laughed, getting to his feet and helping Dani up.

The twins shrugged.

"It wouldn't be the first..."

"... place to nearly kill us."

"Of course not," Scott chuckled.

"If I die in cyberspace, do I still go to the spirit world?" Samantha frowned.

Scott shook his head, "Let's not test that theory."

"Where's T15 and her goons?" Hayden asked as Dawn helped her up.

"Gone," Dawn smiled, "You guys took care of the goons, and I finished off my clone."

"Just like you said you would," Mike nodded.


	75. End

The world was safe. When the Rangers returned home after the battle they were greeted like heroes at the Garage. T15 was no longer a threat and neither were her machines. And just to be certain, Dr. K had run a scan on the wastelands. After T15 escaped the final battle last time, she didn't want a repeat.

But, the robots were dead and the human population could safely claim victory, giving them a chance to rebuild and repopulate what Venjix had destroyed.

Now, after a few days of celebrating, it was time for Project Ranger and the RPM team to come to a close.

"With the new year comes a new step," Kaylee smiled, loading up the Fury with the last piece of luggage before slamming the truck down. Summer and Dillon walked around the car while Flynn approached them.

"You guys ready to go?" he asked the two.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Summer nodded, looking to Dillon.

"Well, if you guys want to hang around, we'll have plenty of room in the new Garage," Flynn offered.

"New?" Dillon frowned.

"Sure," Flynn nodded. Dani walked over to him with a large grin on her face, "Dani and I are opening a new Garage to help rebuild the city's transportation systems."

"No thanks," Dillon chuckled, "I love this baby, but cars really aren't my thing."

Scott walked into the garage with the boom-twins in tow. As he passed Dillon's car he tapped on it, creating a drum roll for himself.

"I just got back from the command center," he smirked.

"How are repairs going?" Samantha asked, following Engel who was walking from the kitchen to hug her future step-father. Scott picked her up, kissing her cheek.

"The command center's going to be better than before," he said, "But I have more important news."

"Their making Scott wigs now?" Summer laughed, "Awesome, I'm sure Ziggy will be delighted. Now he can have cool hair too."

Scott smiled, shaking his head, "You're looking at Eagle Squads newest recruits!" he announced, "I talked to my father, and he offered me the position of Eagle one!"

"That's great!" Samantha exclaimed, kissing her fiancé. "Markus would be proud."

"I know," Scott nodded, "But this is really important for me."

"You said we," Dillon frowned, "What do you mean by we?"

"We get to blow things up..."

"... and get paid for it!" Gemma and Gem smirked, bumping fists.

"Oh shit," Dillon said, "Scott, reconsider before Corinth disappears in a giant flaming mushroom."

Rebecca walked over, rolling a table with a large suitcase placed on top.

"Ranger Operators, it's time," she said.

The Rangers all gathered morphers in hand. Kaylee went and stood beside the doctor.

Ziggy was first to go. He placed his morpher in the case and looked to Dr. K.

"Get in Gear," he smiled to her. She smiled back, taking his hand gently before he walked back in line with the others. He was definitely one of a kind. Dr. K was still annoyed endlessly by his antics, and sometimes wanted nothing more than to feed him to Venjix or T15, but she knew his heart was in the right place. Ever since she found out that he was a good, caring man, who sought only to help the others (such as sick children in an orphanage), no matter the cost, she couldn't help but fall for him. He was a goofball, but he was definitely something else.

Flynn was next to come. He placed the morpher in the case, but his hand slid across it as he turned away. He was a true hero at heart and much like Ziggy; he wanted nothing more than to help others. It was his passion in life. Being a Ranger gave him the chance to live out those dreams, and create new ones. He would never forget his time. Kaylee looked on at her future son in-law with pride.

Scott was next. He set his morpher down and looked up at Kaylee. It was because he lead the Ranger team that his father finally believed he was able to lead the Eagle Squad. Kaylee had given him the chance to prove his worth and he did everything in his power to avoid disappointing her. Kaylee smiled at him. He would never disappoint her.

Gem handed in his communicator and gave Dr. K a high five. Dr. K smiled as she returned the gesture. Though Gem hadn't changed much, being a Ranger ally was definitely a life changing experience for him. He was still a child at heart, but he was a child who knew when to be serious. He could handle any responsibly given to him with care, whereas in the Soup, responsibility was something for suckers. Gem was able to maintain his carefree attitude, but in a more responsible way.

Gemma set her communicator down as well and smiled at Dr. K. She had grown so much during her time as a Ranger ally as well. She was a little more independent from her brother, enjoying spending time with the girls on the team or helping Flynn upgrade technology. She discovered there was more to life than her brother and explosions. But at the same time, Gem was the most important figure in her life, and she would never leave him behind.

Dillon approached the case, dropping his morpher inside. He flashed Kaylee a smile. Though Summer had been the one to take him in, Kaylee gave him the chance to be a Ranger. For Dillon, the fact that he was a Ranger was something he would always remember with pride. He had come into Corinth lost and confused. He was a brooding bad boy who didn't care about anyone else. Being a Ranger turned him around. He still tried to hold onto the I-don't-care-about-you attitude, but with so many people around him who cared for him, it wasn't easy. Even Hayden was starting to grow on him.

Greg put his morpher in the case. Kaylee smiled at him and tapped him on the shoulder. She was happy he had been a part of the Ranger deal, even if it started out as an in the shadows kind of help. If not for Project Ranger, he never would have come back into the lives of the family. Mack and Rose were definitely happy to have their son back, and Kaylee was over the moon at the fact that she her nephew was home and she could slowly make him believe she loved him more than Rose did. It was tradition.

Mike set his morpher down as he looked at his Aunt. She winked at him before ruffling his hair. Mike had wanted to do one thing. Protect his cousins. All his life, he made sure nothing could hurt Summer, Samantha Jr. or Hayden. The fact that they were all alive now and the threat of a robot empire no longer threatened there safety was the result of his efforts. Like Flynn, he wanted to be a hero, and like Flynn, he succeeded. Kaylee never doubting that Mike would protect her nieces and daughters. She was proud to call him her nephew and proud to say he was almost like her son.

Samantha placed her communicator in the box and gave her mother a hug. There hadn't been much about Samantha that had changed over the past two years, but Kaylee was definitely happy her first daughter was in her life. Project Ranger wasn't the cause of her return, but when Kaylee thought of the highlights of the Ranger years, Samantha's return was definitely one of them.

Dawn set her communicator down and put T15's disk inside the case as well. Kaylee smiled at her niece. She definitely had a reason to be proud of Dawn. From being Tenaya 7, Venjix' secret weapon, to Dawn Matthews, she had come a long way. She was able to destroy her past (literally), and mend some ties that never should have been broken. She was getting the chance to move on and start anew.

Daniela threw her morpher in the case and crossed her arms, pouting. Kaylee looked at the device, afraid Daniela might break it, then at Daniela. She smiled at the youngest Ranger. If anyone had grown during their time as a Ranger, it was Daniela. She started this career when she was fifteen years old. She was nothing but a little ball of energy, waiting for the right moment to go boom. She took risks, and never thought twice before acting. But she had learned to calm down, finding the right time to jump around and be crazy with the boom-time, and the time to be serious. Kaylee could look at Dani and see her evolve from a girl to a woman. Though she was still only seventeen, Daniela was definitely mature enough to be considered an adult.

Hayden walked up to the case and gently put her morpher down. Kaylee couldn't contain her excitement as her smile spread from one ear to the other as she looked at her daughter. Hayden could now finally speak of her own Ranger years, instead of talking about her mother's. Kaylee was aware of how much Hayden admired her and always wanted her daughter to have a chance to walk in her shoes. To know Hayden lived the experience and enjoyed it made Kaylee the happiest mother on the face of the planet. Even more, Hayden had surpassed Kaylee's expectations. She managed to lead the team on a few occasions. She was one of the hearts as well and also solved a few problems that had the others stumped. She always put herself out there to save her friends, and was never too busy when they needed someone to talk too. Though she had her own ups and downs, Hayden always pulled through. Kaylee felt more than pride for her daughter, and she was honoured to have had the chance to raise her.

Finally, Summer put her morpher away and looked to Kaylee. Summer had never disappointed Kaylee. She had always been there to help the team, whether through rough times or emotional struggles, Summer's kind words were always there. She was more than a Ranger. She was a true friend.

"I guess it's time for me to head home," she whispered.

"NO!" Hayden yelled, jumping on her cousin, nearly bringing her down, "You're not leaving! I won't allow it!"

"Hayden," Summer laughed, pulling the former Pink Ranger off, "I have to go. I have a family back in NewTech."

"No you don't," Hayden pouted, "We're your family, remember? You're my older sister. Not stinky Sammy."

Summer hugged her cousin, "Samantha's back in your life. You're no longer a sister without a sibling. You don't need me anymore too look out for you or do all that other stuff older sisters do. It was fun living with you and Aunt Kaylee, Uncle Dustin and Christian, but I really need to go home... for good."

"And I'm going with her," Dillon nodded, "I have to meet my girlfriend's family at some point, right?"

"Come visit soon, okay?" Scott said, "Corinth city won't be the same without you guys."

Dillon and Summer turned to get in the car when Rebecca stopped them. She pulled out the pocket watch from her lab coat and smiled.

"You left this on my desk," she said, placing the watch in Summer hand. Summer passed it over to Dillon. It did belong to him. She had given it to him as a gift so many years ago..

Dillon looked at it longingly before handing it to Rebecca.

"Keep it," he said, "It helped me find where I belonged. Maybe it'll help you."

Kaylee took the watch from Rebecca as she wrapped the small doctors in her arms.

"She belongs right here," she said, hugging the young girl. Rebecca played with the watch as she looked up at the woman who had taken her under her wing and believed in her, even when the rest of the world didn't.

"I know my name, I've been outside and I've found my family," she said, hugging Kaylee with one arm while reaching to hold Ziggy's hand with the other, "There's no more mysteries left in my life."

"Hey, if you ever need to get away from my psychotic Aunt, you can stay with me," Mike smiled, "I'm getting my own place on the other side of town and I'm going to the college. After doing this for so long, I can't see myself doing anything else. I'm gonna work at restoring the world."

"You're going to college to do that?" Ziggy asked.

"Everyone's gotta start somewhere," Mike said, "I'll need to know how to do it if I want to succeed."

"How about you, Ziggy?" Kaylee asked, "What do you plan on doing now that you aren't tied down to the Ranger suit?"

"I'm going to help with the orphanage," Ziggy smiled, "Now that I've found a family or my own, I'm going to help kids do the same. My goal is that every child I help finds a home. If not with loving parents, then with me."

Rebecca frowned, "You're adopting the kids who can't find a home? Ziggy, shouldn't we discuss this first. It's your choice to make, but if this relationship is going to continue, I should know if you plan on adopting. I'm not good with children!"

Ziggy laughed, squeezing his girlfriend's hand, "I won't be adopting them, but those kids will know that no matter what, I'll be there for them. If they can't find a home, I'll be the one giving them what they need to grow."

Rebecca smiled.

"Well, this is all very cute," Flynn started as he grabbed Hayden's hand, pulling her into the center of the group. "But I have something I've been meaning to do for a while and with Dillon and Summer about to leave, I think it's time I do it now."

Flynn reached to Hayden's necklace, unclipping the chain and grabbing the ring. He dropped down on one knee and smiled at his girlfriend.

"Now, I already know the answer to this, but let's make it official. Hayden, will you marry me?"

Hayden smirked, "That all depends. Can I still keep the necklace now that I don't need it to hold the ring?"

"Yes?" Flynn frowned.

"Okay!" Hayden smiled, jumping into Flynn's arms. She whispered into his ear, "For the record, you could have said no and proposed to me with a twist tie and I still would have said yes."

Flynn was beaming, "Good to know."

"Crap," Summer growled, dropping her head on the car, "Now I've gotta come back for the wedding."

"No ditchers are invited!" Hayden called.

"Hayden," Summer laughed.

"But, because I love you so much... I guess I'll make an exception."

Summer reached over, hugging her cousin.

"Love you, brat."

"Love you, too."

Summer and Dillon hopped in the car and started the engine. As they drove off, Kaylee breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Okay, this time for real. Now I'm retired!"

"Are you sure, mom?" Hayden laughed, "I mean, Christian could still become a Ranger. You never know."

Kaylee shook her head as she dropped down on the couch, holding her hand on her forehead.

"Dustin can mentor that team," she said, "I am officially done! No more Ranger suits, no more morphers. No more monsters, and no more mentoring!"

"Kaylee, you still need to file the paper work and lock up the briefcase," Rebecca chuckled, leaning over the back of the couch.

"Dammit," Kaylee muttered, "Screw the Ranger business fine print. I warn you kids now. A Ranger's duties are never done. Once you wear the nano fibre spandex, it never comes off!"

"Still not complaining," Dustin smirked, entering the room now that the Ranger goodbye party was coming to a close. "Boys, I'm telling you now. The spandex is the best blessing in the world."

Rebecca growled, "It's not spandex."

Dustin's smirk dropped as he turned to run, with Rebecca hot on his trail. Scott grabbed the rest of the team in a group hug and smiled.

"A New Year and a new journey to look forward too. I'll miss you guys."

"We won't be far," Hayden smirked, "After all, this Garage is our home, no matter where we all end up. Promise?"

Everyone nodded, "Promise."

* * *

_Author's Note: It's hard to say but it's true. This is the end of RPM: The Last Stand and the end of the Ranger years. I still have two more stories planned before I bring about the end of the Kaylee series and move onto something else (what? I don't know yet)._

_The next story is going to be called RPM Afterlife: Corinth's Families. It'll center on family life for seven of the Rangers. Scott, Samantha, Hayden, Flynn, Daniela, Gregory and Dawn will be the main focus (some a little more than others. It's still a work in progress) and the story will turn around them. Growing up, moving on and starting a new life. A family._

_I hoped you enjoyed reading RPM. It was really awesome for me to write. Feedback and comments are really appreciated. Let me know what you think._

_Lily Hanson_


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